After the recent cases in which people with alleged mental problems threw stones at vehicles, mainly the one in which the young man was traveling Joel Cabrera who died after the impact, many people have questioned what happened to the Padre Billini Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center, popularly known as “28”.
For many people, this center no longer existed, however, according to the reception manager, Rosalba Holguín, it has never ceased to be in operation, only that some time ago they decided to change their methodology.
The first thing to note is that the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centerwhich was previously known as 28, has never been closed, which is something that is heard a lot on the streets, that assistance is no longer given, however, the only thing that has changed is the methodology, we no longer have that vision of asylum or people’s warehouse, but we wanted to adapt to this new wave of mental health,” he said. Rosalba Holguinmanager of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center
In a press conference offered at the Ministry of Public Health, the doctor stressed that unlike before, a patient can no longer be taken to the center so that his relatives practically forget about him, but now there are certain parameters that must be met so that someone can be entered as a patient.
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“It is no longer as it happened before when the person was taken there and the family member disappeared, we already have certain protocols, because our objective is not to stay forever with a person who is taken to the center, but rather to reintegrate them into society. being someone functional and capable of being productive in society”, added the doctor.
The doctor specified that the first requirement for these patients to enter the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center is that they are previously taken to crisis intervention units, which are in the main hospitals of Santo Domingo, and in some provinces such as Puerto Plata and San Pedro de Macorís. In addition, the person should be between 18 and 60 years old to be able to enter the center.
He stated that the patients must first be taken to the crisis centers, because there they undergo various tests to verify if they really have mental problems and that they need to be admitted to the center. He also indicated that if the person certainly has mental problems, but is over 70 years of age, they are transferred to the National Council for the Aging Person (Conape)where they are duly treated.
“A survey is carried out to find out if it meets the criteria for admission to the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centerto evaluate and give them assistance, patients are received from all places, but we have to change the stigma that these people cannot integrate into family and social life, we must be empathetic, with people who live on the street sometimes for his decision,” he concluded.
