- Vivium Zorggroep gets €70 million EIB loan to adapt and renew its real estate portfolio. As the Netherlands’ population ages, care facilities need to be improved to enable staff to work more efficiently, and allow clients to receive care in a pleasant living environment.
- Vivium will replace its Naarderheem facility with a new building specifically for geriatric rehabilitation, and will also increase the number of specialised places in long-term care. The new construction will enable Vivium to change its care approach.
- Vivium will also invest in further improvements to services and environmental sustainability at its other locations.
- The loan is backed by the InvestEU programme, which aims to trigger over €372 billion in additional investment over the period 2021-2027.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Stichting Vivium Zorggroep have signed a €70 million loan agreement supporting the company’s investment plans running up to 2030. Vivium will revolutionise its building management strategy and adapt its facilities to new models of care, while also maximising efficiency for staff. By redesigning the workspace for healthcare professionals, grouping certain types of care and improving cooperation with clients and families, Vivium expects to be able to care for more people. The financing should thus address urgent problems in elderly care services in the Gooi en Vechtstreek region, mainly due to the rapidly ageing population.
This EIB financing is made possible with the support of the InvestEU programme, which aims to mobilise over €372 billion in additional investment for EU policy priorities over the period 2021-2027.
“Taking good of our elders is not only a matter of respect, but also a sign of a society that cares about all its members,” said EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters. “This loan for Vivium will ensure that the new facility is more efficient and environmentally sustainable, while optimising the quality of care. By recognising the importance of investing in healthcare and housing for older people, we are showing our appreciation for the wealth of experience on which our societies are built. The EIB is therefore proud to support this important local project.”
Most of the loan will help replace the foundation’s Naarderheem facility in Naarden with a new, environmentally sustainable rehabilitation centre including an expertise centre for geriatric rehabilitation and complex treatments. The new layout will enable more efficient care while increasing client and staff comfort, and the facility’s sustainability features will also significantly improve Vivium’s carbon footprint.
Marco Wisse, chief operating officer at the Naarderheem rehabilitation centre, explained, “With the substantial support from the EIB, we are embarking on a transformative journey. The EIB challenges us to build more sustainably than the minimum standard, but also to develop sustainable care concepts. That is the kind of partnership we were looking for.”
Vivium will also invest in rehabilitating its De Bolder and Oversingel sites, and make smaller investments to rehabilitate, adapt and expand its other locations, especially Torendael, De Antonius Hof, De Stichtse Hof, Godelinde and Johanneshove, where part of the funds will be used to improve environmental sustainability.
Erwin Melger, Director Finance & ICT at Vivium Zorggroep, said: “This financing combines a very market-aligned rate, flexibility in our borrowing portfolio and the possibility of financing several different projects at the same time. Without the EIB, we would not have been able to implement a number of projects, or would only have been able to do so on less favourable terms.”
Background information
Over the last five years, the EIB has financed over €1.1 billion worth of healthcare projects in the Netherlands, including university medical centres, top clinical hospitals and long-term care facilities.
The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the projects of the implementing partners, increasing their risk capacity and thus mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.
Stichting Vivium Zorgroep is an elderly care provider offering long-term care, short-term care, geriatric rehabilitation, home care and daytime activities across 13 locations and 15 home care teams in the Gooi en Vechtstreek and Amsterdam regions.
