ABSTRACT
Increasingly, the narrative of health care provision in Singapore has become dominated by the challenges of ageing and the rising burden of chronic disease. Health care has also been medicalised, leading to a lack of ownership by patients with preventable deterioration of their conditions. To build resilience and sustainability into tomorrow’s health landscape, Alexandra Health System’s approach was to go upstream to address social determinants of health by creating supported self-management communities in the northern part of Singapore. This case study details how an ethnographic study (Project Orange) led to the development of centres in the community (Wellness Kampung) that redefine the communal care experience, facilitate the organic growth of local communities to live healthy lifestyles, manage chronic disease, and maintain fitness and independent function - all this supported by a responsive health care team that is embedded and easily accessible.
