MHMP: The capital is dealing with the hasty dismissal of the contact center in Prague 5
8/19/2022 7:27 a.m. | Press Release
Due to the uncoordinated termination of the lease of one of Prague’s three contact centers, Prague 5, the capital discussed with representatives of the city districts where it is necessary to open a new low-threshold service for people addicted to drugs.
Experts from addiction services and representatives of the city and state police also took part in the meeting. The participants agreed on the next steps, among other things, Prague is selecting buildings in its property that would be suitable for the new center.
survey
Are you going to vote for the Senate?
voted: 10558 people
At the end of July, the Prague 5 Municipal Council approved the termination of the contract for our non-governmental organization Progressive in Mahenova Street in Košířy. At the same time, Progressive operates one of the three contact centers in Prague for people addicted to drugs.
Two of the three Prague centers are located in the territory of Prague 5. As early as February 2022, the capital city had two buildings available for the opening of new low-threshold services or the relocation of Progressiv from Prague 5. However, the affected city districts did not agree to such use of the buildings. “The uneven and insufficient distribution of low-threshold addiction services is a consequence of the political pressures of the last few electoral periods. Prague has a problem not only building new services, but unfortunately also maintaining their operation due to the politicization of anti-drug policies. As long as the leadership of the city districts does not show solidarity and we do not take responsibility for our share in building the capacities of low-threshold services, the residents of Prague will lose battles with drug addiction and its negative effects on public health,” comments the head of the council. m of Prague for the area of social policy Milena Johnová.
In June of this year, the City Council of Prague approved the so-called optimal network of addiction services, which determines the necessary equipment both at the level of city districts and at the level of the whole of Prague. According to the experts who prepared the material, there should be a total of nine contact centers in Prague. At the moment, the capacity is one-third, and the distribution in the city is also not suitable.
According to the metropolis, achieving the optimal composition and distribution of addiction services requires rational and constructive cooperation of both public administrations, both at the levels of the capital city and city districts. The joint action of the city and the city districts is also necessary to defend the interests of Prague as a whole towards the state institutions, which are jointly responsible for the availability of services and their financing.
“I consider the pre-election timing of the termination of Progressiva’s contract to be extremely unfortunate. Before the elections, the politician does not want to address unpopular topics, they are afraid of losing electoral preferences. After the elections, it will be difficult to deal with politics, so it will be busy building coalitions. For that reason, I asked the mayor of Prague 5 to extend the notice period to 12 months, so that we could open a new center in Prague in the first half of next year, according to the original plan. I don’t have an answer, and I haven’t even managed to get the mayor the date of the meeting that I invited her to,” states councilor Johnová.
For the reasons, councilor Milena Johnová called the policy responsible for the anti-drug agenda of the city districts, in these areas, according to the approved material, additional contact centers should be established. The anti-drug coordinators of the city districts (specifically Prague 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11), experts from addiction services, Municipal Police Hl. m of Prague and the Police of the Czech Republic. The aim of the meeting was to clarify the options and conditions for the operation of the contact center in the city districts and to negotiate the next procedure in case Prague 5 insists on the current terms of termination.
“The situation needs to be addressed urgently. The eventual demise of one of the three contact centers puts the entire system of addiction services at risk, which has been undersized for a long time. This intervention will have a very negative impact. Addiction services, including these low-threshold services, are important and irreplaceable for Prague for many reasons. They have a significant impact on the quality of life in the city, the health of residents and, above all, the availability of professional help with addiction and their loved ones,” urged Vojtěch Janouškovec, director of Progressive ops
The participants of Thursday’s meeting agreed on the next course of action. The capital city, after examining the objects in its possession that would be suitable for opening a contact center, negotiates with individual city districts. The representatives of the city districts will look at the operation of the contact centers to get an idea of their functioning inside and towards the community. Objects and possibilities for opening the center will be discussed at separate meetings between the city districts and the capital. After the municipal elections, joint negotiations are held, at which the plan to open the missing center will be launched.
A common, coordinated approach and cooperation with the police in ensuring security around low-threshold centers is important for all participating districts. “The Czech Streetwork Association appreciates the activity of the capital city, which was created as a result of the association’s Open Letter addressed to the mayor of Prague 5, where we propose steps to gradually resolve the situation. This requires the cooperation not only of social service providers, but also of representatives of the city districts, on which lies the political co-responsibility for the public health and social stability of the city. The solution is to open at least three contact centers until the end of 2023, so that addiction services are discreet and their operation does not burden their neighborhood. We appreciate the activities of the capital city of Prague, which cooperates with experts when planning the anti-drug policy. However, the situation remains alarming and we will continue to create space for negotiations,” concludes Martina Zikmundová, director of the Czech Streetwork Association.
You can support the editorial office of PL by purchasing a subscription. We do not display advertising to subscribers.
Are you a politician? Post whatever you want without editing. Sign up HERE.
Are you a reader and want to communicate with your representatives? Sign up HERE.
author: Press Release