CIVIL SOCIETY: 276 PRACTICES
The Non-Profit Organization FAINARETI was founded in 2006 with the aim of research and intervention for the promotion of the health of women and their families in Greece. FAINARETI'S primary goal is to study, design and develop any form of programmes and actions for the promotion of care and support of the pregnant, the new mother and the family.
The Day Center for the Care of Women's Mental Health (perinatal mental disorders) of AmKE Fainareti is the only Day Center specialized in perinatal mental health in Greece, and is under the supervision of the Directorate of Mental Health of the Ministry of Health. From December 2008 until today more than 11,000 prospective and new parents have received free perinatal care and support services.
Our goal is the prevention as well as the early intervention and treatment of mental disorders during the perinatal period through a network of services that include:
a) prevention, early detection and treatment of perinatal mental disorders, such as postpartum depression, anxiety disorders, etc., which occur during pregnancy and during one year after childbirth,
b) preparation of couples during pregnancy for the parental role and parental duties,
c) information, training and counseling on issues related to the period of pregnancy, the birth process, the period of caesarean section, breastfeeding and the adaptation of the newborn,
d) continuous follow-up and support (obstetrical and psychological) to the pregnant, lactating and new mother from the period of pregnancy up to one year after delivery,
e) psychological support of the partner/spouse,
d) improving the physical condition of the pregnant woman and the new mother and reducing the musculoskeletal difficulties they experience, through an exercise program.
The services of the Day Center are aimed at:
a) pregnant, lactating and new mothers,
b) new fathers,
c) women who experienced a death involving the fetus or newborn during the perinatal period (uterine death, retrograde pregnancy, abortion, termination of pregnancy, neonatal death, etc.) and their partners,
d) women and men who face infertility problems and are in the process of assisted reproduction.
The Day Center has been operating since December 2008 until today. That is, it counts 14 years of uninterrupted operation.
The intervention model of the Day Center is based on the detection of mental disorders in the perinatal period, through the administration of psychometric tools, the realization of clinical interviews and the identification of beneficiaries who belong to a high-risk group, i.e. gather risk factors, which are associated with increased possibility of mental disorders.
Perinatal mental disorders, i.e. mental disorders that occur during pregnancy and postpartum, affect 2 out of 10 women (approximately up to 18,000 women per year in Greece). At the same time, modern research points out that 1 in 10 men suffers from some mental disorder at the beginning of fatherhood. Being the most frequent "complication" of the perinatal period, these disorders can have serious consequences, including the risk of suicide, obstetric complications (miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight newborn), difficulties in the couple's relationship and domestic violence, of increased divorces. In addition, children of parents suffering from a perinatal mental disorder have an increased risk of developing emotional, social, behavioral, and learning problems, and are vulnerable to developing mental disorders in adulthood. . Timely intervention for parents at the beginning of life is the basis for prevention and reduction of psychosocial effects for the citizens of the future.
The innovation of the intervention carried out at the Day Center is based on the above model of prevention and early detection of perinatal mental disorders and is enhanced by the systematic and comprehensive support before and after childbirth. High-quality perinatal care combines the provision of obstetric care/counseling, preparation for parenthood, physical strengthening and psychological support for the expectant mother, new mother and father. Thus, Fainareti builds the foundations of the new family, empowering, supporting and caring for expectant and new parents and their babies.
For the previous reference year, i.e. 2021, 1,568 people, 1,033 pregnant women, pregnant women and new mothers, 488 new fathers and 47 newborns were served through the Day Centre. A total of 25,850 hourly (individual and group) therapeutic procedures were carried out, of which 13,379 with midwives, 10,009 with mental health specialists and 2,459 with a physical therapist.
It is worth noting that in an external evaluation of the Day Center carried out by the company SRC Statistics and Informatics at the end of 2021, 76.69% of the beneficiaries judged the services as "excellent" and 21.78% as "satisfactory", stating at the same time that they benefited from the information and counseling they received.
Also, regarding the assessment of the impact of the interventions at the Day Center, their overall multiplier effect on the health of the mother and the infant must be highlighted. Specifically, in a recent research article by members of the interdisciplinary team entitled "Association between Breastfeeding Duration and Long-Term Midwifery-Led Support and Psychosocial Support: Outcomes from a Greek Non-Randomized Controlled Perinatal Health Intervention", published in the scientific journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, results were presented in relation to breastfeeding, after the participation of the sample in a training and support program for pregnant and new mothers in breastfeeding, provided by the midwives of the AmKE "Fainareti" Day Center, had been completed. The results showed that at the end of the 6th month after giving birth, approximately half of the employees of the Day Care Center (44.3%) were breastfeeding exclusively, while the corresponding percentage according to the "National Study to estimate the frequency and main determinants of Breastfeeding in Greece" conducted by the Children's Health Institute (IYP) in 2017, was only 0.78%. Also, at the end of the 6th month, 70% of Fainaretis Day Care Center patients continued to breastfeed (exclusively or not), compared to 45.4% of women throughout the country, according to the pan-Hellenic IYP survey in 2017.
Therefore, the contribution of the preparation program for childbirth and parenthood and postnatal breastfeeding support, provided at the Day Center, in addition to the mental health care of pregnant women and new mothers, seem to significantly promote maternal performance. breastfeeding.
The headquarters of the Day Center is in Nea Smyrni and its scope covers all of Attica.
However, the digital transformation that has taken place since the start of the pandemic in 2020 has been responsible for attracting interest and increasing requests for perinatal care and support services from various regions of Greece.
In order to better implement the services provided and to meet the growing demand, the Day Center cooperates with health agencies, municipal social services and civil society agencies. At the same time, partnerships are necessary to ensure the continued care of the beneficiaries. Thus, during the long journey, the Day Center has organized a referral network with agencies in Attica such as:
- Public Obstetricians, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Psychiatric Clinics of General and University Hospitals, Pediatric Hospitals
- Mental Health Centers
- Psychiatric Hospitals
- the Mental Health Sector of the Municipality of Nea Smyrni
- Medical Educational Centers
- Municipal Clinics
- Clinic of Non-Governmental Organizations
- Private doctors (obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, etc.)
As part of its educational activities, the Day Center annually welcomes students from the Psychology Departments of Panteion University and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for their internship in the field of perinatal mental health. Students are trained, supervised and actively participate in the provision of most Day Center services, while observing and participating in the work of the Interdisciplinary Team. Education, practice and active participation in a specialized and emerging field of mental health that concerns the whole family contribute significantly to the professional empowerment of young psychologists.
The staff of the Day Center is a multidisciplinary team of 17 people with specialties such as psychologists, midwives, psychiatrists, physical therapists and administrators. The team is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Day Center with scheduled meetings per week, under the supervision of the Scientific Manager of the Day Center. Within the framework of the weekly meetings, there is a presentation and evaluation of cases, preparation of the individual care program for each client, supervision, educational presentations, etc.
At the same time, approximately 10 volunteers (before the COVID-19 period) assist in the clinical work of the Day Center every year, mainly through the processing of requests, support in the administration of psychometric tests and assistance in the organizational and administrative functioning of the Day Center.
The establishment and operation of the Day Center was a catalyst in the sixteen-year course of AMKE Fainaretis, as it was a cornerstone for the creation of a standard of perinatal care services in Greece. It also contributed to the increase of the organization's good reputation among the special audience of prospective and new parents, as well as recognition from the scientific community through the presence in dozens of international and pan-Hellenic scientific forums and conferences with the presentation of results from the clinical work of the Day Center.
In fact, Fainareti's work in the field of perinatal mental health promotion (which mainly takes place through the operation of the Day Center) contributed to the organization becoming a partner of the International Marce Society for Perinatal Mental Health in Greece.
Additionally, through the operation of the Day Center and the contact with the target population of pregnant women, new mothers and fathers, an in-depth assessment of their needs became easier, resulting in the development of additional actions and programs that contribute to a holistic support for the perinatal period (such as the Pregnant and New Mother Mental Health Helpline – 2109319054, which is inextricably linked to the Day Center as it makes a key contribution to the comprehensive monitoring of pregnant women, new mothers and fathers who come to it).
Finally, the development of partnerships with institutional, health and academic bodies in the context of the interconnection and networking of the Day Center increase the social capital and the impact of the organization's work.
