The candidate from Coligação Confiança to the Funchal City Council, on Wednesday, July 14, considered the cooperation between the municipality and the mental health reference institutions of the municipality to be critical, in terms of mental health promotion.
“Cooperation between the municipality and the provincial reference institutions, in particular in the social field, and specifically in relation to mental health promotion, is crucial to the well-being of the community,” emphasized Miguel Silva Gouía during a visit to the São João de Dios Health House.
“Although mental health issues are not adequately addressed yet, given the stigma attached to them, we do not want anyone in Funchal to feel powerless,” and in this sense, the Confiança Alliance’s goal is “to continue to develop policies that contribute to community involvement on these issues, Which has had an even greater impact because of the very difficult context of the pandemic crisis we have been through.
The candidate and the current President of the Chamber also wanted to emphasize that in the coming period, the Confiança Alliance will continue to provide “the largest possible support” to citizens in vulnerable situations.
Miguel Silva Gouveia made the visit accompanied by the Santo Antonio Diocese Alliance candidate, Gonzalo Jardim, and the Left Bloc’s regional coordinator, Dina Letra.
Gonzalo Jardim, who is also a specialist nurse and works at this health home, said that this institution plays a key role in treating people with alcohol-related problems, as well as in intervening, at different levels of prevention and treatment, in people with severe mental illness, In acute condition or with long-term development.
“Combating stigma is nowadays an important challenge facing other levels of local government, in dismantling ideas that do nothing to improve the quality of life of people with mental disorders and society in general,” the candidate stressed to the parish council.
“My candidacy for the Presidency of the Diocese of Santo Antonio aims, in this way, to strengthen the commitment to promoting mental health and preventing mental illness, and to cooperating with entities that intervene in this very important area, with the aim and conclusion of improving the quality of life for all without exception and achieving social stability.
