Norway Grants
 |
 |
 |
Norway Grants
The Psychiatric Hospital in Opava (PHO) has obtained a grant in order to implement a project with registration number NF-CZ11-OV-02-032-2015 with the title “Psychiatric Hospital in Opava – creation of conditions for the implementation of transformation of psychiatric care in the Moravian-Silesian region," within the EEA (European Economic Area) programme and Norway Grants 2009-2014, CZ 11 – Public Health Initiatives. The project with a total budget of 13,742,000.- CZK, with a 20% share of co-financing from the Psychiatric Hospital's own resources, commenced this year and will be completed on 30th April 2016.
Based on the approval of the application for an additional activity of the project with the title "Psychiatric Hospital in Opava - extension, improvement and effectiveness of operating the integrated system of psychiatric rehabilitation", the original budget for the project was increased by the amount of 4,984,000.- CZK, so the newly approved total budget currently amounts to 18,726,000.- CZK, whereas the 20% proportion of co-financing remains unchanged. The termination of the project was extended until 31 October 2016 upon the approval by the facilitator of the CZ-11 Programme.
News
Final conference of the Project “Psychiatric Hospital in Opava – creation of conditions for the implementation of transformation of psychiatric care in the Moravian-Silesian region“ - programme here.
On 24th – 26th November 2016 the representatives of the pilot project team took part in the XXXIV Conference of Social Psychiatry, which was held in Tábor.
The conference was organized by the Social Psychiatry section of the Czech Psychiatric Association and it was focused on the ongoing transformation of psychiatric care in our country. The motto of the conference was “Together on the way of changes“. The individual parts of the programme included the following topics: the management and procedures of projects, information about ongoing projects, the first feedback and experience, and innovative views on psychosocial rehabilitation in hospitals.
Informal discussions and sharing experience during the conference were also an invaluable source of information. It is obvious that the transformation of psychiatric care is starting to be funded from the providers´ own financial resources. This information is considered to be most important, since it means that we are not waiting for European grants, but we are trying to come up with solutions under the current conditions.
Extension of the project – the project financed from a grant from Norway has successfully completed all the planned professional activities, but unfortunately, we have not yet managed to complete the tenders for all the planned equipment and facilities. With respect to this fact and to the total savings, the project was extended until the end of February 2017 by the Ministry of Finance of the CR and the Ministry of Health of the CR. The activities planned for the remaining period of the project include the continuous effort to complete the tenders for the necessary equipment, to continue with professional activities and training of the personnel and to carry out a demolition of the unfunctional greenhouses, which are an integral part of the premises of the Day Hospital for the therapy of psychoses in the so-called Garden House – a house of the former horticulture. The main goal is to create a pleasant and safe environment in the vicinity of the Garden House. After the completion of the demolition we would like to open the adjacent garden to the public and thus enable the patients to spend their free time together with their visitors including children. We believe that this will make the necessary destigmatization process more natural and also help to dispel inappropriate myths about the mentally disordered.
On 20th – 22nd September 2016 a final visit of the Norwegian partner of the project took place in the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava. The Vestre Viken hospital trust was represented by Mr Bror Just Andersen, PhD, doctor of psychology, special advisor of quality and project manager in the DPC Baerum. The visit was very pleasant and by far exceeded the formal boundaries of the meeting. On the first day a discussion was held about the outcomes and the course of the project. The discussion was followed by a dinner together with the management of the PH Opava and the doctors who had been taking part in the project. The discussion was extensive and its aim was to find ways how to solve difficulties connected with the transformation process and to use the Norwegian partners' experience, finding common ground and looking into possibilities. It is obvious that we must try to carry out as much as possible based on the Norwegian experience and ideas that could be applied in our conditions, regardless of financial limitations.
The following day was very demanding for Mr. Andersen. In the morning he gave a lecture at the Silesian University in Opava for all interested students, especially for the students of Social Pathology and Prevention and the students of the Institute of Nursing (future social workers and nurses) about destigmatization interventions at secondary schools in Norway and about the outcomes of the implementation of preventive mental health programmes for children and adolescents. Mr. Andersen kindly offered the SU his help and collaboration, including his expertise and all materials used in this intervention programmes. Mgr. Marta Kolaříková, Ph.D., Vice Dean of the Faculty of Public Policy of the SU Opava welcomed Mr. Andersen and appreciated his offer of cooperation. At present, together with PhDr. Haluzíková we are looking for grant titles in order to be able to try out a similar model in our conditions.
In the afternoon Mr. Andersen gave a presentation at a seminar in the House of Culture in the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava about the experience and outcomes of the C-flex assertive outreach team in Norway and also about the changes in the organizational structure of the District Psychiatric Centre in Baerum. He explained the reasons of the changes and methods how to achieve and evaluate the effectiveness of care.
After the completion of the official part of the seminar there was an informal discussion, especially with the members of a new outreach team, the funding of which was successfully ensured in the form of contracts with insurance companies. A lot of questions were asked and the Norwegian partner was positive about the prospects of further collaboration.
On the last day of the visit we went to the Psychiatric Hospital in Sternberk, where a final seminar was held in the form of a discussion, the aim of which was to share the experience and evaluate the outcomes of the projects focused on the transformation of care in both hospitals. We could compare the procedures, experience and also difficulties with administration, but above all we looked into the possibilities of further cooperation and shared each other's experience of good practice.
We said good-bye to our Norwegian partner after lunch. The visit was over, but our common collaboration continues... (and that is all to the good)!
On 16th May 2016 a television report was made about the newly established Day Hospital for organic disorders. It was broadcast in the evening news programme on 17th May – see the link - http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/10122978233-udalosti-v-regionech-ostrava/416231100030517-udalosti-v-regionech/obsah/472124-denni-stacionar-pro-psychicky-nemocne
On 11th May 2016 an afternoon meeting of the representatives of the SCO (Statutory City of Opava) led by Mayor Ing. Radim Křupala and the management and representatives of employees of the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava was held in the renovated House of Culture. The meeting was informal and friendly. Ing. Zdeněk Jiříček, Director of the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava (PH Opava), talked about the history of the hospital, the present situation and its future prospects. The discussion was focused on potential mutual collaboration and the general understanding of the aim of the transformation of psychiatric care. Other topics of discussion also included the clarification of the structure and range of care in the new and currently prepared Mental Health Centres (MHC) and possible gradual connecting of health and social services. After the meeting the representatives of the SCO were taken on a guided tour round the premises of the PH Opava, including a visit to the newly established Day Hospital – Pavilion No. 8. See the photo.
On 13th April 2016 the renovation of Pavilion 8, which will serve as a new psychotherapeutic day hospital, was finished. Moreover, the House of Culture, where the majority of cultural and educational events take place, has been renovated as well. The PN Opava is an accredited workplace for pre- and postgraduate education for doctors, psychologists and other health professionals.
The new Day Hospital, so-called “Eight“, which has been established within the transformation of psychiatric care in collaboration with Norway Grants, will offer a wider range of services for patients with organic mental disorders (i.e. patients who have developed a mental disorder based on a brain damage – e.g. posttraumatic conditions, poisoning, cerebrovascular accidents, dementia).
The Day Hospital will be opened on 1st July 2016 and the opening hours will be from 6,30am to 4,30pm on weekdays. People can currently register for the Day Hospital care by completing an application form, which can be downloaded from the PH Opava website.
The Day Hospital care will be covered by health insurance, except for the food, which will be paid for by the clients. Our main goal is to support our clients in the process of their adaptation to everyday life conditions. This support will be provided in the form of an individual plan created for each client and his/her family, since hospitalization is not necessarily the only possible solution. See the photo.
On 23rd September 2015 a slightly unconventional music festival called “We Will Meet Behind the Wall“ took place in the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava in collaboration with FOKUS Opava within the “Weeks of Mental Health“.
The event was open to the public with the aim to invite everyone to the Psychiatric Hospital and its House of Culture and thus help to deconstruct inappropriate myths about “mental disorders and the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava“.
The morning programme was based on experiences. The visitors could try a wide range of music therapy techniques. They could also play some unusual musical instruments under the guidance of music therapist Bc.Jana Světlíková. Other activities that attracted the visitors included various art therapy techniques, making of soap, candles and other small gifts, or just a little stroll in the hospital park.
Until two o´clock in the afternoon all the visitors could also admire and buy beautiful products from the rehabilitation workshops of Fokus and the Psychiatric Hospital at a sales exhibition. The products (see the photo gallery) were almost sold out before lunchtime.
The afternoon programme was started by Jan Hanousek´s jazz trio and followed by Bc. Eva Šalmanová, who gave an interesting talk about her travelling experiences in the USA. In the late afternoon the whole programme was closed by a music trio again – the BOSOBOS jazz band - performing a variety of pleasant melodies.
The opportunity “Door for Every Question“ offered to the visitors (anonymous consultancy in psychiatry) remained unused and the total of 255 guests enjoyed a beautiful day, an enjoyable programme and delicious coffee. We are looking forward to seeing you all again next year...
On Sunday 30th August 2015 three experts from Baerum DPC (District Psychiatric Centre) – our Norwegian project partners - came for a three-day bilateral visit to our Psychiatric Hospital in Opava. We were delighted to welcome them to our country and we spent the evening and the following morning having an informal discussion about the psychiatric and rehabilitation care in our region, the role of the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava, the financing of health and social care, distribution of competences, education of healthcare professionals in general and last but not least, the current state of the planned transformation process. The key topics for discussion included the need for involving the general public and getting their support, the necessity of destigmatization and also the need for close collaboration with municipalities.
On Monday 31st August the Norwegian experts along with a number of representatives of the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava visited a centre of social care and protected workshop for severely mentally ill patients in Fokus Opava in Lepařová street. They described the current state of care as very similar to the situation in Norway at the beginning of the transformation process. They expressed a positive views on activities provided by Fokus in outreach setting, i.e. at patients' homes, and also on conditions for the employment and social inclusion of the clients back into the society.
After a “tropical“ walk around the historical centre of town our Norwegian partners were welcomed at the City Hall of Opava by Mayor Bc. Martin Víteček and his Deputy Mr.Josef Stiborský. "At our meeting, which lasted approximately one hour, the Norwegian experts were particularly interested in social and health care in the Czech Republic, our experience in Opava, prevention and treatment of drug abuse, gambling or alcohol abuse,“ said Bc. Martin Víteček. Psychiatry in Norway is a number of years ahead of the Czech psychiatry. "That is why we were interested in their experience, possibilities and ways how they could be applied in our conditions," added Mr.Josef Stiborský, whose main responsibility is social care. The Norwegian partners had also been looking forward to visiting our country for another reason. In central Norway the weather was very cold this summer, so they could not wait to enjoy some sunshine and hot weather. What expected them here when they arrived was a tropical summer, though.
The Norwegian guests were also briefly informed about the history of our town by the City Hall Secretary JUDr. Tomáš Elis. "We are proud that we have a psychiatric hospital in Opava, in which a number of famous people were employed, for instance our first President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk's personal physician," stated JUDr. Tomáš Elis. After that our foreign guests were taken to the Hláska view tower, from which they could see our town and its landmarks. Then they were driven to Hradec nad Moravicí, where they visited the castle.
http://www.opava-city.cz/cs/norsti-psychiatri-navstivili-opavu
On 1st September a conference “Comprehensive Therapy“ aimed at recovery in severe mental disorders took place in the House of Culture in the Psychiatric Hospital in Opava.
Among the participants was also Senator MUDr. Mgr. Vladimír Plaček, who took an active part in the discussions. The conference was also attended by the representatives of social organizations and community planning, students, parents and patients. Thus we were able to address the general public.
In the morning part of the conference programme the Norwegian experts presented their experience, practice and research results in the area of psychiatric care in Norway and they were willing to explain and discuss all mentioned topics in detail. Mr. Bror Just Andersen, Ph.D., Special Advisor for Quality and Project Manager in DPC Baerum, Norway, gave a presentation about psychiatric care in Norway and briefly introduced the DPC Baerum.
Ms. Hanne Reichelt – Section Head of Outpatient Addictology Clinic and Mr. Jan Otterdal – Section Head of Outpation Psychiatric Rehabilitation Clinic (DPC Baerum, Norway) presented the principles and experience in outpatient practice in addictology and treatment of severe mental disorders. The series of very interesting presentations were concluded by Mr. Andersen and his presentation about the C-Flex team – practice and experience of an assertive outreach team, which also included the results and data of the related research. All the presentations given by the Norwegian partners were interpreted and they will be available here.
The afternoon programme of the conference was concluded with an enjoyable performance of the NABOOband under the guidance of MgA. Lukáš Poledna, Ph.D. and also with a jazz and classical concert performed by violoncellist Jan Hanousek.
Especially the afternoon part of the conference was attended by a number of patients from the psychiatric hospital. We truly hope that further concerts within the “Mental Health Weeks“ will attract more visitors from the general public.
See the photogallery here:
On 2nd September we took the Norwegian experts to the Psychiatric Hospital in Šternberk. We attended the opening seminar there, thanked the Norwegian partners for their visit and said goodbye to them. We look forward to their next visit at the end of the project period, the aim of which will be to assess and review the implementation of the projected activities.
31.8. 2015 - Official handover of the construction site for the initiation of the construction and renovation work in Pavilion 8 and the House of Culture. here...
11.5.2015 - Conference Opening Norwegian Funds here.
7.5.2015 - The opening conference and the introduction of the project took place on 14th April 2015 with the participation of Mgr. J. Fridrich and PhDr. A. Lenkavská M.A. from the Ministry of Finance. Among other guests, who were invited to the conference, were representatives of community care and social organizations, clients and family members.
The afternoon psychotherapeutic programme was thematically focused on the importance of the necessary aspect of community care, particularly on various forms of collaboration with the clients´ families.
The final concert of the “Bou-Band“ brass orchestra from the Junior Music School of Vaclav Kalik in Opava, conducted by Petr Bouček, enhanced a pleasant atmosphere of the whole afternoon and opened another possibility of cooperation and destigmatization activities. The introduction and content of the presentation can be downloaded here.