Prague would need at least nine centers for drug addicts, only two are functioning
“The number of contacts is increasing, but it is not dramatic yet. The most vulnerable community of drug addicts who have been taking for more than ten years are mostly on the streets and without work. There are 10,000 of them in Prague, they have accurate sources of information. Further increases can be expected both here and in the second contact center or in the field services,” informs David Pešek, head of the Sananim contact center, which is located in Na Skalce Street in Smíchov.
At the same time, the Sananim center was already overloaded before the closure of the Progressive organization center in Mahenova Street. Its daily capacity is roughly eighty people, but up to a hundred clients regularly come here.
Ambulance on Náplavka
Non-profit organizations try to at least partially hide the absence of a closed contact center. According to the serving Prague councilor for healthcare and social affairs Milena Johnová (Prague to herself) managed to negotiate more money for addiction services from the budget, so from the beginning of the year the organizations Drop In and Sananim expanded their outreach programs with the use of an ambulance.
“Currently, a suitable place for parking the ambulance is being decided. The car now stands two afternoons a week on the Smíchov embankment,” explains Johnová, adding that these measures in no way replace the missing contact center, they only try to keep the situation on Smíchov at a manageable level.
The director of the Progressive organization, Vojtěch Janouškovec, also responded. “Field services cannot even be called a substitute solution, more like an emergency solution. It’s the same as if a polyclinic was canceled somewhere and only an ambulance was stationed in its place. Services such as needle exchange can replace that, but there is certainly no need for medical treatment,” says Janouškovec.
He also adds that contacts with clients in the field program are rather random, and therefore individual, individual, intensive work with people is very difficult or impossible.
“When working with people, continuity and intensity are critically important,” urged Janouškovec. However, Progressive has also stepped up field service.
Effects of Chaos
The current situation is partly a consequence of the chaos currently prevailing at the municipality. Considering that even more than a quarter of a year after the elections, the representatives still have not elected a new leadership, the non-profit organizations have no one to negotiate with about the future of the addiction services network in Prague.
“It is impossible to talk to the municipality. At the moment, basically no one is in charge there. At the same time, we have been negotiating the relocation of the center with the municipality for two years, while we knew for a year that the notice would come, but officially since July, and so far nothing has happened. I’m a little skeptical if the problem with the closed center will be solved in the end,” he adds.
In the current year, John’s team, together with experts from the General University Hospital, prepared a diagnosis of needs and services in individual parts of Prague. According to her, at least nine contact centers are needed in Prague. However, the new coalition was supposed to discuss their placement with John, as there was no talk of their placement by the mayor before the election. But the councilor had no idea that she would be in her position this year as well.
There is no drug commission
“Before the end of the year, I met with most of the new councilors for social affairs from the city districts where, according to the new approved plan, a contact center was to be established. I have started negotiations on specific locations with several town halls, with the understanding that I will hand the matter over to my successor before the holidays. That didn’t happen, so I’m moving on,” says John.
“They are currently seeking the approval of the anti-drug commission of the capital city, whose members should take over the professional guarantee of the development process of not only low-threshold services in Prague,” he adds. According to Janouškovec, negotiations with other city districts are not at all in vain, but of course they will still take a lot of time.