Halfway Houses: What are these mental health spaces opened by the Mendoza government?

Faced with an increase in mental health problems In Mendoza , the opening of new spaces for people with these types of problems was announced. These are the so-called Halfway Houses , a strategy the Mendoza government is seeking to implement.

As explained, this is an intermediate stage until discharge for those in the process of regaining their independence and social reintegration. They are part of the Mental Health Housing Network, which includes homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes.

For now, the first one has been inaugurated in Lavalle , and the government announced that it has already signed agreements to open two more on the grounds of the El Sauce Hospital neighborhood, located in Bermejo, Guaymallén.

In these settings, residents are expected to remain temporarily with the assistance of specialized staff to guide them through a process that better prepares them for community life. Each home has a point of contact, such as a nurse or social worker , who provides support and guidance throughout the process of becoming independent.

The goal is for residents to gain resources to self-manage and navigate their daily lives by performing daily activities such as shopping and cooking. The strategy aims to reintegrate them into the community.

Mental Health houses

Halfway Houses, a strategy that the Mendoza Government seeks to implement

Photo: Courtesy of the Government of Mendoza

Within this framework, they receive health checks and are connected to primary care centers.

“Halfway Houses play a fundamental role in discharge processes , or, in other words, the opposite of hospitalization. They allow for a gentle transition from the hospital setting to independent living and, at the same time, reinforce the territorial decentralization of mental health management,” explains the local Ministry of Health . For the area, they are intermediate mechanisms that guarantee rights, enhance autonomy, and promote the social integration of those undergoing recovery processes. “This initiative is a priority for the Executive Branch in the field of mental health,” it emphasizes.

"They are a great achievement for the hospital and key to enabling people in recovery to integrate and live in society ," said Manuel Vilapriño, Director of Mental Health and Problematic Consumption.

In this context, they consider that they provide various benefits:

They facilitate adaptation to independent living.
They promote social integration, independence and autonomy.
They prevent relapses.
It is a temporary accommodation with a predefined term.
Multidisciplinary care and therapeutic activities.

First houses

The strategy has made its first progress. The first house was inaugurated in Costa de Araujo , Lavalle, on May 7. The space has capacity for four people.

In the same department, the province opened a center to address problematic substance use for children over 14 years of age and their families. The Child and Adolescent Inpatient Service at the Ramón Carrillo Hospital was also expanded.

Rodolfo Montero, Minister of Health and Sports. Photo: Los Andes.

The brand new Lavalle Center for Problematic Consumption is designed to serve these individuals and provide guidance to their families if they have not yet resolved their problem but need help.

Then, on May 13, two Coexistence Houses were delivered in the Brisas del Sauce neighborhood , on the grounds of the El Sauce Hospital, thanks to an agreement with the Provincial Housing Institute (IPV).

Increased demand for Mental Health and strengthening of care

The provincial Ministry of Health recognizes that there is an increase in mental health issues , and as a result, in recent months they have changed their strategy to expand care in general hospitals. What they have done is add dedicated on-call staff for this service and inpatient beds in the departments' public hospitals .

"We are seeking to strengthen these types of centers with preventive measures, but also with assisted living facilities. We want to offer people alternatives so they can continue their recovery process. In these intermediate spaces, people begin to perform everyday tasks and socialize with others, which allows them to progress in their social integration," explained the Minister of Health and Sports, Rodolfo Montero.

The Provincial Mental Health Department works with the concept of a network for patient care, which includes outpatient hospitalization and assisted living.