This pioneering partnership is transforming physiotherapy education and community care by placing students at the center of an inclusive clinic that delivers vital services to underserved populations in Cascais.
COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL GAPS
In response to unmet community health needs and educational limitations in clinical training, this project united a higher school of health sciences (ESSAlcoitão), a social institution (Centre for the Rehabilitation and Integration of People with Disabilities - CRID), and a local government (Cascais Municipality) to create a pedagogical physiotherapy clinic within a social care setting.
CLINICAL SERVICE TRANSFORMATION AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
The initiative transformed CRID’s rehabilitation services into an autonomous, high-quality Physiotherapy Unit, aligned with national healthcare standards. At the heart of this transformation lies the Pedagogical Clinic of ESSAlcoitão, offering real-world, socially-engaged learning for students of physiotherapy. Main actions included: requalification of spaces, recruitment of clinical staff, integration of students in care delivery, creation of home-based and community physiotherapy services, and implementation of a model aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SOCIAL INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
The clinic serves children, older adults, and people with disabilities who otherwise lack access to adequate physiotherapy. The result is a socially inclusive ecosystem where education, care, and innovation converge — strengthening community wellbeing while enhancing the training of future health professionals.
