Siv Friðleifsdóttir, Minister of Health and Insurance, today signed contracts for mental health services for children and young people in the districts of the Health Centers Ísafjarðarbær, Bolungarvík and Sauðákrók.

 The agreements are made on the one hand with the Health Institute in Ísafjörðurbær, and on the other hand with the Health Institute in Sauðárkrók. The agreements are in accordance with the policy of the Minister of Health and Social Security to promote mental health services for children and young people with mental disorders both in the capital area and abroad.

The agreement aims to strengthen health care as the first point of contact in the health service and that children and young people with mental and behavioral disorders and their guardians have the opportunity to seek help in basic services.

With the agreement, the Health Centers in Sauðárkrók and Ísafjarðarbær, among other things, are enabled to negotiate travel services with experts and ensure regular visits by experts to care for children in this area. It is assumed in the contract that the services provided may consist of treatment, education and advice from experts in child psychiatry, psychology, pedagogy, psychiatric nursing, occupational therapist or social worker services.

The contracts are valid from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008, and the Health Institute in Ísafjarðarbær receives three million ISK this year and next year to provide the service, and the Health Institute in Sauðárkrók one million ISK each year.

Corresponding agreements have previously been concluded with the Health Institute of the East and the Health Institute of the Southeast, and the agreements are part of the implementation of the policy of the Minister of Health and Social Security that was announced recently. fall


Chief: THOUGH