The biggest challenge is to provide psychological, psychiatric and social services to families
Since its establishment, the Renova Foundation has been working on several fronts to ensure access to health care for those affected by the collapse of the Fundão dam. With actions aimed at strengthening existing municipal structures, both in clinical care and social protection, the greatest challenge in this area is to provide these families with psychological, psychiatric and social services.
In its actions to support the physical and mental health of the affected population, the Foundation is working on an epidemiological and toxicological study that will identify the profile of the communities, from Mariana to the mouth of the Doce River, before and after the collapse, in order to assess the risks and their correlations.
Renova has 22 professionals, including social workers and psychologists, to work in psychosocial care in CREAS and CRAS. | Photo: Leo Drumond / NITRO
In the field of social protection, Renova has 22 professionals, including social workers and psychologists, to work in psychosocial care at the Specialized Social Assistance Reference Center (CREAS) and at the Social Assistance Reference Center (CRAS) in the towns of Mariana and Barra Longa, in Minas Gerais. In addition, it has its own vehicle that serves those affected when traveling between their homes and the places where social and health services are offered. The next few months, Renova will be working on putting together a “Vulnerability Map” that will detect, in all affected locations, the territories and types of vulnerabilities aggravated by the collapse. This map will guide the preparation of municipal plans to reduce these impacts.
In order to ensure greater integration and social interaction among members of the affected communities, the Renova Foundation set up a study of the needs of the elderly in Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu. “We met with them [elderly] in April and we became aware of some issues, such as the lack of leisure activities, hobbies, the estrangement from neighbors and relatives and the impossibility of cultivating the land,” explains Lucimar Ferreira of the Resettlement team of the institution. Based on this study, several activities were developed, such as: the creation of a community garden in Mariana, the organization of trips, such as the visit to the Technical Reserve, and the monthly meeting at the Mariana Cultural Center, the “Musical Cafes”.