Nou Barris will have a new mental health center in 2024

The Nou Barris Mental Hygiene Center Foundation is a concerted service with the Generalitat de Catalunya, which is integrated into the system CatSalut and to which “95%” of referrals come from Primary Care Centers, according to data provided by the foundation itself. Its president, officially, is Xavier Trias, although he would not have intervened in this purchase-sale operation, according to municipal sources. The same sources also affirm that this detail is nothing more than a coincidence.

“Economic disaster” after the pandemic

In this operation there has been a ‘matches‘ between a cultural center that had outgrown its premises and a foundation with a high volume of work that seeks to expand throughout the district and launch new projects. Paco Morgadopresident of the Manuel de Falla Andalusian Cultural and Artistic Center, explained to EL PERIÓDICO that they have been forced to leave their headquarters in the More Durán street -next to via Júlia- because “with the two years of pandemic it has gone to waste” the organization they had.

The main source of income that the cultural center had were the numerous students who came to this space to attend sevillanas, flamenco or guitar classes, among others. But many of them they did not sign up again after confinement, which has brought a major economic problem. “We had to continue paying the maintenance of the premises, the electricity, the mortgage… This situation has led us to a economic hecatomb”, says Morgado. Thus, the president of the entity who tried to find a solution: “I asked for help to the Nou Barris district, and from there they advised us to agree sell the premises to this foundation. we had other offersbut we believe that this one adapts more to the needs of the district & rdquor ;, he explains.

For this reason, the district councilor Xavier Marce -who has accompanied both entities during the negotiation- highlights “generosity” of the cultural center having decided to sell its premises “below market price” to a health service, instead of opting for another type of more advantageous real estate operation, so that this place “continue to have a social utility”.

In the same line, Pigeon Lake, vice president of the Fundació Center Mental Hygiene Nou Barris, thanks the cultural center for the “understanding& rdquor; to which they have arrived “We spent years looking a larger space to continue doing more programs & rdquor ;, he explains to this newspaper, also recalling that new barris It is one of the areas of Barcelona “with worse social determinantswhich affect both general and mental health & rdquor ;.

The new mental health facility will come into operation in June 2024, after a year of reforms, and it will be an extension of the current CSMA Nord, which will continue to operate on Paseo de Valldaura. These foundation centers are dedicated to mental health assistance, recovery and prevention programs for the population, including young and old people.

“Until you drop from exhaustion”

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For their part, the members of the Manuel de Falla Andalusian Cultural and Artistic Center will remain in their current headquarters until June 2023 and, after that, They will move to a smaller location. and “right” to your budget. They are finishing closing the rental of a space in the Can Dragó area, where they expect continue your activity while they can; with its concerts, conferences, sevillanas, classical Spanish, guitar, zumba and castanets classes, among others.

“Future forecast? The one that God wants& rdquor ;, says Paco Morgado, who comments that the members of the board of directors of the center are “70 years old and up & rdquor; and? there will be no generational change. “Nobody wants to take over the management of an entity like ours & rdquor; ensures. Of course, he and his partners will continue to meet with the same joy in the new site: “Our people have understood the need for change. The new space will be smaller, but we don’t need more. We will be there as long as the body endures”.