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KEY FACTS

Holding Organisation: Centre for the Community Psychiatry of Southwestern Greece Status: nonprofit organisation People involved in the project: 80 mental health professionals-members of KEKOIPSY who volunteer. The stakeholders are individuals, families and groups from the region of Patras, Nafpaktos, Xylokastro and the island of Lefkada who receive mental health support. Public partners: NO Private Partners: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Sources and links: kekoipsy à gmail.com

The idea:

The idea was to create a Community Centre in the region of Southwestern Greece that could provide mental health services to people who are excluded from the labour market and the society in general. These people are usually those with mental health issues or who suffer from a long term disease and are therefore in need of counseling and psychological support for themselves and their families.

The local context:

The region of Southwestern Greece consists of 3 smaller areas (Achaia, Ilia and Aitoloakarnania). There is a general hospital in each area but only one mental health clinic in Patras to cover the needs of the entire region. In addition, there are 2 Community Centres dealing with mental health problems in the region, but still these structures are not enough to correspond to the needs of the population.

Moreover, during the last years with the economic crisis in Greece, funds for health care have been reduced, resulting in more people not having access to the public health system. In addition, large areas of the periphery are deprived of health services due to lack of doctors.

The starting point:

In 1994, a number of mental health specialists came together and founded a Community Centre to provide mental health services to people lacking access to the public health system. These specialists formed a group that was trained to provide mental health services in the framework of the Community. The activities of the group took place in the Centre of mental health care in Patras, their purpose being to provide additional services to patients of the Centre that could not be provided by the staff. The group of the founders was open to doctors, psychologists, social workers and other specialists as volunteers, after being trained along the same lines of work carried out by the Centre.

Steps and development of the action:

1. 1994: First meetings to establish the Centre and to develop the activities and the relevant documentation for it.
2. 2000: Revision of the Statutes and change of the Centre’s Headquarters.
3. 2010: Start of group therapy sessions to patients coping with cancer and sclerosis. Start of the Counseling Centre for kids and families.
4. 2011: Start of a project funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for the prevention of mental health of children, adolescents and young people.
5. 2013: Start to manage the regional teams of psychological support in the area of Lefkada, Nafpaktos and Xylokastro

How does it work?

KEKOIPSY provides counseling for patients with psychiatric problems and for their relatives with brief supportive therapy. In addition, a group of psychological support for cancer patients and inpatients with multiple sclerosis is provided once per week. Finally, it operates a consultation service for children, adolescents and families.

For the last two years KEKOIPSY has been implementing a programme for prevention and promotion of mental health of children, adolescents and young people in collaboration with the Child Psychiatry Unit of the University Hospital of Patras, financed by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. This programme has duration of three years in total.

The union does not own a place but is hosted in the Child Psychiatry Unit, while the group therapy sessions are taking place in spaces provided by the local Orthodox Church.

Added value of the project and making resources available:

- Social benefits: supports the prevention and promotion of mental health in the community, fights stigma of mental health patients and gives a sense of “belonging” to patients with cancer and multiple sclerosis. - Shaping policies: keeps functioning/alive/active the system of Community Psychiatry in the area of mental health at a time when the State is shrinking the health system by closing regional hospitals and health centres, leaving large areas of the region without any medical cover. - Economic benefits: provides free mental health services to people in need who cannot afford it in the current health system.

Challenges/risks/inertias:

The association receives many requests due to its services, thus it cannot cope with them all and has had to start a waiting list. The financial resources come from membership fees, while funding from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation is exclusively for this programme, resulting that its sustainability is an ongoing challenge.

The local government in the city of Patras is not supportive to the needs of the association, however, in the regions where it has recently started operating (Nafpaktos, Xylokastro and Lefkada) the Municipalities have given space and logistics for the better functioning of services.

Future perspectives:

This year the formation and implemention of activities of the association in 3 areas in need of psychiatric services, outside of Patras, was instigated. These cities are Nafpaktos, Xylokastro and the island of Lefkada, where a group of mental health professionals (psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker) will visit the places on a 15-day basis and will operate a social mental health clinic. This action, supported by the Municipalities of the regions following the success of a pilot scheme the previous semester, is expected to be fully operational by autumn.