The Community Mental Health Team of Portimao and Lagoa and the Psychology Unit of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) already have facilities in Portimao, which the Minister of Health visited on Monday, during his tour of the region.
The facilities, which will open soon, are located next to the Hospital de São Camilo, a unit of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Portimão, which owns the space. It was the Porto City Council that leased them to Misericórdia, to transfer them to CHUA, under a cooperation agreement, approved at the City Council meeting of January 4 of this year.
Maria do Carmo Cruz, Director of the Department of Psychiatry at CHUA Hospital and Regional Coordinator for Mental Health, highlighted the light in remarks to south infothe importance of these facilities that make it possible to bring these services closer to the population.
The Municipality of Portimao guarantees, within the scope of the agreement, not only the installations, but also the works performed for the organization of the place, as well as all material resources and expenses inherent in the proper operation of the equipment.
It is up to CHUA to ensure the human resources allocated to this response and the materials needed for rehabilitation activities and nursing procedures.
Part of the objectives of the Community Mental Health Team is to “promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of people, develop strategies to promote mental health and prevent disease; organization of an integrated program for people with serious mental illnesses; Assessment and intervention in crisis situations, in addition to providing external counseling carried out by various professionals, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists, as well as psychotherapy, individual psychological support and group psychotherapy; In addition to user-centered home visits and community interventions.”
For its part, the Psychology and Gerontology Unit will develop “strategies for the early diagnosis of dementia. ensuring that users/families diagnosed with dementia have access to qualified services and appropriate care tailored to their condition, as well as ensuring that quality care is provided; facilitate social and family reintegration; Informal/formal/extended family caregiver training on strategies for caring for the user with dementia, throughout the progression of the pathology.”
Another improvement visited by the Minister of Health, this time in the hospital in Portimao, is the Snoezelen room, the first room to be set up in an NHS unit throughout the Algarve region.
Anna Ventura, CHUA’s social service officer, explained to L.L.C south info That this room will support physiotherapy, pediatrics, children with autism, cancer patients or stroke patients, and even the staff of the hospital center itself. The project also includes “the integration of mental health patients”.
This Snoezelen room, dedicated to multisensory stimulation, is the result of an application of the “Healthy Neighborhoods” program, presented by the CHUA Social Service in conjunction with the Elos de Esperança Association, which includes volunteers from the Portimão Hospital.
“Out of the 700 or so apps, later narrowed down to 300, ours was one of the select apps,” Anna Ventura added.
The project also has partnerships with CHUA, Casa do Povo and the Parish Council of São Bartolomeu de Messines, as well as CASLAS, ISMAT and the Piaget Institute.
The government considers mental health a priority area within the scope of the PRR Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Pictures: Elizabeth Rodriguez | Sol Info and Felipe da Palma | CMP
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