The Lanzarote Health Area, attached to the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, held this Wednesday the meeting of the Island Council for Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Community Action (CIRPAC). During the meeting, the existing resources and measures to care for people with mental health problems on the island were presented and analyzed, and the incorporation of new professionals to implement the programs that are currently being developed was announced.
The CIRPAC session was chaired by the director of the Health Area, Noelia Umpiérrez, and the manager of the island's Health Services, José Luis Aparicio, and was attended by the head of the Mental Health service of the General Directorate of Healthcare Programs of the SCS, Natalia González Brito, and the head of the Psychiatry service and the Mental Health Unit, Matías Ybarzábal.
In addition, the Councilor for Social Rights of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Isabel Martín, and representatives of the town councils and sectors involved in this area were present.
A community model
At the meeting, the activity data of the different mental health programs were presented, such as the First Psychotic Episode (PEP) program, which serves a total of 96 patients between 18 and 35 years of age in Lanzarote, through a specific team, who have suffered a first psychotic episode and are closely monitored for a period of five years. This program tries to address these young people with an intervention as early as possible and in an interdisciplinary manner with the ultimate goal of facilitating their rehabilitation and incorporation into a life integrated in the community.
On the other hand, the Community Assertive Treatment Team (ETAC) serves 40 people on the island. This is a specialized resource that assists people with severe mental disorders in situations of social isolation, abandonment, with limited access to mental health resources or with low adherence to treatment.
During the meeting, Natalia González Brito indicated that "this community model is the most appropriate because it brings resources and professionals closer to people in their homes, so that continuous monitoring and support is provided in their environment."
Six new professionals
At this CIRPAC meeting, the incorporation of two psychiatrists to the Psychiatry service of the Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital and four other new professionals who complement the existing multidisciplinary programs and teams in the Mental Health Unit of Lanzarote was highlighted.
The meeting also addressed the Suicide Prevention Program and the collaboration mechanisms between the autonomous Government, the Cabildo, the town councils and the groups and associations, whose objective is to identify and monitor, at an early stage, people at risk of self-harm.
The director of the Lanzarote Health Area, Noelia Umpiérrez, highlighted that "the meeting has revealed the concerns of local administrations, councils and town councils, regarding mental health. It has been a very active and participatory session, which, among other issues, has highlighted the importance of coordination of everyone in mental health care and suicide prevention."
