A place of comfort has been created on the Brussels Health Campus. With this initiative, VUB, Erasmushogeschool and UZ Brussel aim to provide a physical space that offers visibility and support to students, staff, patients and their loved ones who are dealing with farewell, loss and grief.
Among the trees at the place of comfort, ribbons have been hung bearing the names of loved ones missed by members of the Health Campus Community. These ribbons will remain visible for another week as a sign of support and connection. Afterwards, they will be preserved by the End-of-Life Care Research Group. With this space, VUB is taking another step in its development as a Compassionate University. In 2019, on the initiative of its late honorary rector Caroline Pauwels, VUB signed a declaration of intent to become a university that pays attention to grief, loss, informal care and serious illness.
Each year, VUB organises a “Compassionate Week” – a time to reflect on these themes together, offering students and staff the chance to take part in inspiring seminars, a “Compassionate Café”, write messages of comfort, and more. For the first time, activities were also held on the Jette campus as part of Compassionate Week, including the Network Day of EPZ Brussels (Centre of Expertise in Palliative Care), which brought together research, education and clinical care in palliative and end-of-life care through interactive sessions aimed at strengthening collaboration and launching new initiatives.
On the Brussels Health Campus, this commitment carries a special meaning: while health and healing are central here, so too are end-of-life care, and care in times of parting, loss and mourning. The place of comfort is located outdoors, symbolically situated between VUB’s Building A and the footbridge leading to UZ Brussel. It is open all year round and freely accessible to students, staff, patients and visitors.