SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, March 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Department of Health of the City Council of La Laguna and the Red Cross start the project ‘The neighborhood that listens to you’, a community psychosocial support service that is aimed at people with psychological distress and that will be developed, as a pilot action, in La Cuesta.
The initiative, integrated into the local health promotion strategy, includes psychological counseling sessions, support groups, emotional management workshops and various actions aimed at acquiring psychological and useful skills for daily life.
This project is part of the La Laguna Saludable strategy, promoted by the Health, Social Welfare and Drug Dependency areas, and constitutes a new example of the importance of “joining efforts and facing the challenges for health and psychosocial well-being that are La Laguna citizens are facing, with a clear trend towards population aging and, especially, after the impact on all levels of the covid-19 pandemic,” explained the Councilor for Health, José Luis Hernández.
In addition, the mayor wanted to recall that the initiative is aligned with the commitment, formally embodied in the recently established La Laguna Intersectoral Health Board, “to work hand in hand with all administrations and organizations to take advantage of all possible resources and support the programs that have a positive impact on the health, social situation, quality of life and autonomy of the residents and families of La Laguna”.
The technical director of the Red Cross Assembly of La Laguna, Esther Sosa, highlighted the “importance of addressing the needs and difficulties of people with psychological distress in their daily environment, since these situations can make it difficult for them to connect with existing community resources “. “With this initiative, we will be able to avoid situations of isolation, increase social support networks and collaborate in accompaniment to improve their link with mental health services and social services, if necessary,” she added.
The project, which will be directed by the psychologist from the entity’s Health Area and coordinator of ‘Cruz Roja Te Escucha’, Idir de Luca González, will offer this free care to adults, which will also include weekly group sessions to address current issues that generate emotional discomfort, as well as 12-hour emotional management workshops that offer a range of tools for proper emotional management.
Those interested in participating can contact us by email at idir.deluca@cruzroja.es or by phone at 663 259 433 (also via WhatsApp).
The initiative is integrated into the aforementioned local strategy to place health in a prominent place on the social, economic and political agenda of the municipality. This objective took a very important step last year with the adhesion of La Laguna to the National Strategy for Health Promotion and Prevention in the National Health System of the Ministry of Health, as well as to the Canary Island Network of Islands and Municipalities Promoters of health.
Although the municipality was already making progress in these policies, especially in terms of drug addiction prevention, the covid-19 pandemic marked a before and after and a change in the local approach to protection, care, prevention and promotion of health of the lagoon citizenship.
Among the actions already underway, the local Diagnosis is included, in which the weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities of the municipality in terms of health are being identified; the creation of the map of community resources in this area and the drafting of the first municipal plan for health promotion.
Likewise, the City Council has appointed a municipal technician to manage this strategy and guarantee the transversality of the prevention and health promotion work, since the initiative is proposed with a wide-ranging approach that includes the environment, education, preventive actions with youth, mobility, security, etc. And, in addition to the Intersectoral Table, La Laguna goes further and is going to expand community work with the creation of Health Forums, collaborative work spaces in towns and neighborhoods to identify their needs.
