A new Mental Health Unit at the Cristo Health Center, in the municipality of La Laguna, will help cope with the increase in recent years, in Tenerife and in Canary Islands, of pathologies related to psychological care. The joint efforts of three administrations have made it possible to have this resource, which was visited yesterday on the occasion of its inauguration by the Health Minister of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, who was accompanied by the president of the Island Council, Rosa Dávila, and by the Mayor of Aguere, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez.
This service, located in the Primary Care space of Las Mercedes, its official name, in the vicinity of Cristo square, serves 3,000 patients and has a specific consultation for Dual pathology care. The Unit comprises fifteen professionals, including four Psychiatry specialists, four clinical psychologists, two nurses, two nursing assistants, two administrative staff, and one social worker.
During the tour of the facilities, the visitors were accompanied by the Director General of Mental Health and Addictions, Fernando Gómez-Pamo, and the managers of the University Hospital Complex of the Canaries (HUC), Adasat Goya, and Primary Care of Tenerife, Jesús Delgado.
Dual Pathology
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The minister congratulated and thanked the personnel of the Mental Health Unit “for their effort in having this suitable space today to assist people with mental illnesses.” She noted that “in the Canary Islands, we have a total of 36 centres for this purpose – 13 in Tenerife –, of which 11 are exclusively dedicated to child and adolescent care, which is also ‘very important.’ She emphasized that ‘the unit is designed to work with adults in the specific consultation for dual disorder care.’ She described this as ‘very challenging to manage’ as ‘these are patients with significant mental illness compounded by addictions, both chemical and behavioural.’
Network Reinforcement
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Rosa Dávila, President of the Island Council, has shown concern for mental health since the beginning of her term, reflected in a specific Education for Prevention department led by Dr. Juan Acosta. Dávila stated: “Tenerife now has a new Mental Health Unit which, among other things, strengthens the network for preventing suicidal behaviours on our Island.” This unit also includes, she emphasized, “a second consultation for dual disorder care in all of the Canary Islands.” She concluded with “my thanks to the Government of the Canary Islands and the Canarian Health Service for their immense commitment.”
Integration
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Luis Yeray Gutiérrez indicated that “this service has been operational in recent months, since December, at the Avenida de la Trinidad centre but the space became too small, besides the challenges for specialist doctors due to being divided on two floors.” Hence, “the integration of the environment with new departments, some even with rooms to work on different pathologies collectively.” The Mayor reflects: “With separate areas for primary care and mental health, which is the most crucial aspect of the service starting from today (yesterday).” To clarify, “this is a joint effort between the Health Ministry, the Island Council, and the Municipality.”
Provision
The new Unit in La Laguna is part of the Mental Health Plan. It includes Psychiatry, Psychology, Nursing, and Social Work consultations, as well as a multipurpose and therapy room and a supervision room. In addition, there is a Dual Pathology consultation for patients with severe mental illness and addictions. It is the reference resource for users in the La Laguna area who require mental health care.
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Roles
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The functions of the Unit include prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders with a person-centered approach to restore functionality and integration into their family and community environment. They actively participate in the suicide prevention programme, as well as in teaching and research tasks. Mental Health Units in the Canary Islands have a total of 677 professionals who attended to 69,513 patients in 2023, 0.1% more than the previous year, in 317,660 consultations.
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