Five hospitals will build new psychiatric buildings with money from the EU

Prague - Five hospitals in the regions will build new buildings for their psychiatric departments with money from European funds, and another two will be renovated, resulting in a new mental health center. The facilities will share more than 1.5 billion crowns. This was reported in a press release by the Center for Regional Development of the Czech Republic, which is established by the Ministry of Regional Development, the evaluator of submitted projects.

The funds have been allocated for establishing new or renovating mental health centers, day-care facilities, outpatient clinics, or acute psychiatric care facilities in general hospitals. Mobile and outreach services could also receive support. However, the grants are not intended for psychiatric hospitals for inpatient departments.

The center recommended ten projects, two of them as alternatives. The Teaching Hospital in Brno will reconstruct its psychiatric clinic, including acute beds, for 491 million crowns. It will establish a day-care facility and a support base for the Mental Health Center. These centers are one of the pillars of the reform of psychiatric care.

In the future, a network of these centers is to be created. The staff of the center includes social and health professionals, and it is also suitable to have a person with experience in mental illness. They are expected to assist clients not only in the center's premises but also at their homes or elsewhere. The aim of the centers is to avoid isolating the sick from society.

The most money from European funds will go to new buildings. Two new facilities will be constructed by the Teaching Hospital in Plzeň for 268 million crowns, a new building will also be created for 220 million crowns in Pardubice Hospital and for nearly 170 million crowns in Ostrava.

Renovations costing 153 million crowns are planned for the acute psychiatric departments of the hospital in České Budějovice. The Regional Hospital in Liberec will renovate and expand two existing psychiatric department buildings for 126 million crowns, and acquire equipment and furniture. Almost 76 million crowns will be received by Tábor Hospital for a new independent psychiatry pavilion.

The alternative projects are the modernization of the psychiatric pavilion of the hospital in Havířov for nearly 49 million crowns and the improvement of psychiatric care quality at Masaryk Hospital in Ústí nad Labem for 12 million crowns.

In the next round of grants, for which projects could be submitted until mid-July, 425 million crowns will be allocated.

Granted subsidies:

Applicant	Project Title	Requested Contribution from European Funds (CZK)
Teaching Hospital in Brno	Center for Comprehensive Psychiatric Care Brno	491,299,915.00
Teaching Hospital in Plzeň	Construction of a new pavilion for the Psychiatric Clinic at the Teaching Hospital in Plzeň	268,359,644.65
Tábor Hospital, a.s.	New Psychiatry Tábor	75,912,754.41
Regional Hospital Liberec, a.s.	Renovation and Expansion of the Psychiatric Department at KNL, a.s. in buildings "I" and "E"	126,448,720.62
Hospital České Budějovice, a.s.	Restructuring and Renovation of the Acute Psychiatric Department of Hospital České Budějovice, a.s. in the context of the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care in the South Bohemian Region	153,288,113.11
Teaching Hospital in Ostrava	FN Ostrava - Construction of a building for psychiatric care	169,746,322.60
Pardubice Region Hospital, a.s.	NPK, a.s. Pardubice Hospital, new psychiatry	220,179,158.18
Association of Sanatoriums and Treatment Facilities in Trutnov	Mental Health Center RIAPS Trutnov	46,679,248.37

Source: Center for Regional Development of the Czech Republic