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Work and Development
In 2014 we worked closely with Trieste Mental Health Services to develop and facilitate the International School and conference held in Trieste on the 9th to the 12th December 2014.
In 2015 we are co-producing a innovative whole life recovery programme including a recovery community in the centre of Trieste. We will be working in partnership with the people who use the Trieste Service, A Family Association, a Social Cooperative and workers from the services. This initiative will commence in March 2015. Further updates will be provided on the development of the programme.
We are also facilitating a Twinning collaboration between Hywel Dda University Health Board, Wales and the Trieste Mental Health Department. This will focus on the need to reorganise the mental health services in Pembrokeshire based on the 24 hour Community Mental Health Centre service in Trieste. This will include a series of action learning sets running in parallel for the partners and exchange visits for workers service suers and family members.
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IMHCN Representative
Roberto Mezzina
Country: Italy
Background: Roberto is the Director of Mental Health, Trieste. He is A psychiatrist who has contributed for the last 30 years to the initiative begun by Franco Basaglia (who inspired the Italian Mental Health Reform Law in 1978), with the de-institutionalization of the local psychiatric hospital and the subsequent development of alternative Community Services.
Roberto is the chair of IMHCN.
For over 20 years he has headed a comprehensive, 24-hour Community Mental Health Centre. From 2009 he has been the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Department of Mental Health, Trieste, which aims to support deinstitutionalisation and development of community based services world wide and to support government reform policies (in the last twelve months this has included work in Denmark, Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand among others). He supports the International Mental Health Collaborating Network (he is currently Vice-President).
His professional experience and scientific production includes de-institutionalization, organization of community services, crisis intervention, integrated approach to the therapy of psychosis, community care, rehabilitation, user involvement, research and epidemiology, epistemology, quality assurance and critical forensic psychiatry. He has been invited as teacher, keynote speaker and expert in hundreds of Scientific Institutes, Universities, Mental Health Services in Italy, Europe (Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Serbia, Greece, Finland, Romania, Albania) and overseas (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Palestine, Iran).
Interests: De-institutionalization, whole life recovery
Organisational Members
Trieste Mental Health Department (TMHD)
TMHD is a public, community-based mental healthcare service which evolved directly from the pioneering de-institutionalisation experiences of Franco Basaglia and his collaborators in the 1970’s. Recognised for years as one of the most advanced public mental healthcare services in the world, the Trieste MHD continues to remain a leader in innovative approaches to mental healthcare aimed at the emancipation and social reintegration of persons suffering from mental disorders.The Mental Health Department forms part of the Trieste Local Healthcare Agency (LHA) n. 1 "Triestina", which was completely reorganised following the formation of a separate Hospitals Agency in 1997 (today University Hospital Agency). The purpose of this reorganisation, which took place primarily during the 1990's, was to provide more resources and impetus to community-based healthcare services, and re-balance what had been an excessively "hospital-centric" system.
The Trieste LHA covers the territory of the Province of Trieste, with a total population of about 245k, 210k of which reside in Trieste and the remainder in a handful of small municipalities (Duino Aurisina, Sgonico, Monrupino, Muggia, San Dorligo della Valle).
Address: San Giovanni compound
Via Weiss 5 – 34100 Trieste
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://www.triestesalutementale.it
Special Advisors and Contributors
Renzo Bonn
Peppe Dellacqua
Diana Mauri
Marcello Macario
Pino Pini
Pina Ridente
Franco Rotelli