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September, the Feast of Saint Raphael, was an appropriate day to celebrate, pay
homage and build the future of the Casa de Saúde São Rafael (Saint Raphael
Hospital), an institution that is making great strides forward towards its Centenary,
but also a day to make it abundantly clear that mental health is a real
priority for all of us, and not just an occasion to indulge in conventional
rhetoric.
For this day saw the inauguration of
three newly-refurbished inpatient units dedicated to the people who often face
silent battles and have to navigate through rough seas, like those surrounding
the beautiful islands of the Azores.
The
Saint John of God Unit is a 30-bed Maximum Mental Health Support facility
for persons with mental/intellectual disabilities with a moderate or high
degree of psychosocial disabilities and dependency and who require continuing
care and/or psychosocial rehabilitation.
The
Saint John Grande Unit is a 29-bed Maximum Mental Health Support facility
for persons with psychiatric disorders and a moderate to high degree of
psychosocial disability and dependency, and who require continuing care and/or
psychosocial rehabilitation.
The Dr Fernanda Rosa Unit is dedicated to addressing
the problems arising from Alcoholism and New Behavioural Addictions, and has a
capacity of 12 beds and also takes in female patients: it is a pioneering
response in the Azores archipelago for the treatment of problems associated
with New Behavioural (substance-free) Addictions.
These
units have been named after Saint John of God, Saint John Grande and Dr
Fernanda Rosa to honour two saints whose lives were defined by their deep
compassion and dedication to the service of those who suffer, and to our highly
esteemed Dr Fernanda Rosa, the late Clinical Director of the Casa de Saúde São
Rafael from 1 April 1998 until her death in May 2015.
With
this investment, which has been made without any public funding, we are
reaffirming our commitment to be a beacon of hope for all those who are
struggling with mental illness, regardless of the complexity of the struggle,
towards a more inclusive and welcoming society, for we believe that everyone
deserves to live in dignity and have a good quality of life.
There
is a constant and increasing demand for solutions for which this Hospital
stands out as an institution of excellence. Indeed, countless requests to
provide care for complex patients are being made by other healthcare
institutions, which consider that this institution is the only alternative to
respond to their problems. This sharpens our commitment to provide the best
care, with quality services and facilities, both in planning, clinical
interventions and physical facilities, such as those we have inaugurated today.
