The 'Dr. Julio Santiago Obeso' Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit, an assistance center dependent on and directly managed by the Cabildo de Lanzarote, celebrated an open day this Thursday in which the Minister of Social Welfare of the first Island Corporation, Marciano Acuña, accompanied the team of professionals and management of this infrastructure, the families and users of this center, and - among others - the friends and members of the Association for the Defense of the Psychiatric Patient in Lanzarote (El Cribo), in various activities organized on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, which was celebrated this Thursday, October 10.
The twenty-five users who are welcomed by this Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit on a residential basis, together with other members of El Cribo and family members, were able to enjoy this special day in which various leisure and free time activities were carried out, such as games and workshops.
In recognition of the work carried out by all the professionals on the island, volunteers and other entities that work in the field of mental health, and in recognition also of all the patients and people who suffer from some type of disease related to this sector, a tree was planted in these facilities, "as a symbolic act and commitment that this social and health infrastructure will continue to take root and continue to grow", said Marciano Acuña.
This open day was enlivened by the teaching staff and students of the Higher Level Module of Sociocultural and Tourist Animation of the IES of Teguise, whom the counselor also wanted to congratulate and thank for the collaboration offered to celebrate this International Day.
Similarly, Acuña stressed that "it is important to create social awareness that this type of mental illness, in many cases, can be cured and prevented in a high percentage and for this, the 'Dr. Julio Santiago Obeso' Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit is working intensively with a personalized program that allows progress in the rehabilitation of these patients, thus improving their quality of life". This center was born with that "philosophy and method of individual and very personalized work" and that is why it currently welcomes this group of twenty-five patients in residence.
The counselor also wanted to underline the important economic effort that has been made this year in this social and health sector, with the maintenance of the specialized services of this Rehabilitation Unit and the contribution made to El Cribo of 530,000 euros for the maintenance of the Social and Health Program for Attention to Disability in the Mental Health sector and help to the headquarters of this organization that covers, to this day, about 70 public places in day centers and 20 in flats and supervised homes. On the island, this care network is joined by the Mental Health Unit and the Short Stay Unit of the Canarian Health Service. "A social and health map in the field of mental health that covers all the needs and offers coverage to all patients and patients diagnosed on the island with some disease derived from mental health", concluded the Minister of Social Welfare.
