Česky
Among other things, World Mental Health Day is a reminder that it is important to continually work to destigmatise people with mental illness and improve the quality of care provided. Moreover, as the Ministry of Health points out, the number of patients with various mental health conditions is increasing, and there is a need to expand existing psychiatric services or even introduce new ones.
A major contribution to Czech psychiatry in this area has been the brand new Centre for Mental Rehabilitation (CDR), which is part of the Rehabilitation Hospital Beroun and represents a flagship in mental health care within the AKESO healthcare holding. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive range of acute and follow-up care. In addition, it will help the Beroun region especially with the inpatient part, which has been lacking so far.
Since its opening in June this year, the CDR has been gradually put into operation. An acute admission ward is being prepared and the crisis care unit is gradually being expanded. In the meantime, patients are already being admitted to the Centre for general care.
"These are patients with various diagnoses who have already been referred to our outpatient clinics. However, the moment more wards are opened, special therapeutic programmes will be introduced for them and 20 beds will be added. We are building on the fact that the patients who have already been hospitalized with us have helped us to fine-tune the Centre's acute operation," said Deputy Minister for Mental Health Martin Hollý, MBA.
Another new feature is a unique pilot program currently under development for patients who remain hospitalized at the Center over the weekend. "We are preparing an audiovisual recording that will combine images, words and music with themes about mental peace. Patients will be able to play it in their room at any time and it will be part of the follow-up therapy program. If it is successful, we expect it to be used more widely," said David Pánek, M.D., Ph.D., head of the CDR.
AKESO Holding also represents and develops Mindwell, the first digital platform for mental health care, which offers patients systematic therapy for the most common mental disorders. It focuses on addressing depression, anxiety and stress anonymously and without waiting. The platform includes educational texts, videos, practical exercises and standardized questionnaires to help monitor patient mental health. A programme on personal burnout is in the pipeline. The Mindwell project is a unique solution combining a professional health service with user-friendliness and its main authors are Prof. Ján Praško Pavlov, MD, CSc. and Marie Ocisková, PhD. The latter also acts as an expert guarantor.
In the second half of last year, the Prague Ondřejov Day Psychotherapy Sanatorium became part of the AKESO medical holding. The facility specializes in the care of patients with psychotic disorders and those with alcohol addiction. It offers a system of semi-closed therapeutic programmes named after herbs.
For long-term patients, for example, it is the Meduňka programme. Verbena, on the other hand, is ideal for people already after their first psychotic episode. The good news is that the sanatorium is now accepting people who are currently discharged from hospitalisation into the St. John's Wort group. And for those in a more stable state, the Bazalka and Mint programmes are now open.
Comprehensive mental health care under the wings of the AKESO medical holding
Mental Rehabilitation Centre - https://www.cdr-akeso.cz
Ondřejov Day Psychotherapeutic Sanatorium - https://ondrejov.cz
Mindwell digital therapeutic platform - https://mindwell.cz
