Services for the public
To provide the public with services and, at the same time, to obtain high-quality facilities for the students’ practical training – this is the main objective of the Centres, which were recently established or expanded by the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. We intend to follow this path in the future. The aim is to open as much as possible to the public, which will give a greater awareness of the meaning and the necessity of the courses studied at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, as well as of the potential employment of the graduates.
The Physiotherapy Centre has been in operation since the autumn of 2014 in the basement of the building in J. Boreckého Street. It is a registered non-governmental healthcare facility providing services in the field of physiotherapy and rehabilitation not only to the employees and students of the University of South Bohemia but also to general public. It is an excellent opportunity for students of the very popular study course of Physiotherapy to gain the experience that is a prerequisite for success for them (and which can be acquired only by practice). As it is a clinical workplace, they can devote more time to the patient than is usually the case in common rehabilitation outpatients’ facilities. They work under the supervision of the Head physiotherapist of the centre and of the lecturers from the Institute of Physiotherapy and Selected Medical Disciplines of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. The Physiotherapy Centre allows students to carry out research activities, data collection for bachelor’s theses and provides the conditions for Evidence Based Medicine, which significantly increases the competitiveness of the graduates.
The Physiotherapy Centre provides services covered by the public health insurance as well as services that are not covered by this insurance. The range of standard outpatient care, such as comprehensive kinesiology examination, individual physiotherapy, manual therapy, ergonomics, kinesiotaping or thermotherapy is complemented by a combined instrument for physical therapy (laser, ultrasound, electrotherapy, combined therapy), and instruments for movement analysis. In the South Bohemian Region, it is a unique combination of instruments for the research and therapy of motor motion disorders, which includes diagnostic ultrasound, a set for telemetric measurement of muscle coordination by surface electromyography and static posturograph for examination and therapy of postural stability. People with the motor system disorders of different etiologies, people after injuries, surgeries, and people with an interest in the prevention of such problems can refer to the Physiotherapy Centre.
The Centre for Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases has been providing its services since 2006. The services provided relate to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle of the healthy population and on the prevention of modern diseases. In 53a Nerudova Street, where the centre is located, it also offers nutrition counselling services and a personal trainer for fitness training. The Centre disposes of devices like Bodystat, a whole range of fitness training aids, and triglycerides or lactate measurement from capillary blood. By interconnecting the services of health consultants, nutrition counsellors and fitness training consultants, it offers effective counselling for changing the lifestyle of clients. Comprehensive counselling and the pricing of services provided substantiate easily accessible service of people of different age groups that can have their health condition checked and, based on the values measured, to consult experts on how to maintain or improve their health. The faculty staff have a rich experience from many conducted measurements regularly held in a number of events: e. g. the Rio-Lipno Olympic Park 2016, during the International Nurses’ Day on the České Budějovice town square, during Nordic Walking lessons in the USB campus, or during different events with the focus on sports, culture or entertainment. Measurement of blood pressure, cholesterol or body fat is of very great interest to seniors, but with growing public awareness the number of middle-aged and young people increases, and parents with children constitute a significant target group as well.
The newly established service of the Centre is the Lactation Counselling, whose services help future and existing mothers to solve breastfeeding problems. Lactation counselling services include individual counselling provided directly at the Centre at Nerudova Street. The advantage is that the mothers can borrow aids like weight for the infant or a breast pump and take them home. Individual counselling is also done by phone or personal visit to the mother's home. The lactation counsellor also gives lectures in maternity centres.
Another newly established counselling service is the Rheumatology Counselling. It offers health education for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatology diseases. The clients get information about compensation aids and they can try some of them. The counselling services include regular meetings of patients with similar diseases, the exchange of experiences, mutual support or new friendships and regular physical health education. The counselling service provided supplements the regular meetings of the Revmaliga of České Budějovice, which are traditionally held at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.
The Centre for Seniors is also located in the same building at 53a Nerudova Street. It focuses on counselling, organizes popular courses of memory training and lectures, and closely cooperates with the Parkinson’s Club of České Budějovice. This is also an important opportunity for practical training of the students, who meet the seniors and their families here, as well as the lay and professional caregivers.
