Beyond the walls: social and cultural center at the Psychiatric Hospital in Bethlehem, Palestine

Bethlehem, Palestine

The Palestinian health system operates in a complex political and economic situation that affects the health of the population. The protracted crisis in Palestine has had devastating consequences with differentiated impact on women, men, girls and boys. The situation has considerably worsened in recent years due to deterioration of political environment.

The overall objective of the initiative is to improve the health status of the Palestinian population by strengthening the health system. The intervention focuses on the specific area of ​​mental health, particularly in the field of social and occupational integration of patients.

The project is promoted by AICS – Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in collaboration with a team of mental health experts from ASUGI in Trieste for support in socio-health aspects and with the technical-design support of TAMassociati.

Specifically, therefore, the project aims to renovate a service building located inside the Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital to reuse it for recreational purposes and will be managed by the social cooperative composed of the patients of the structure, according to the model of Dr. Basaglia.

The new cultural center will open its doors to the city, it will become a community center, it will be an opportunity for work and social integration for the patient cooperative involved.