Perdizes Unit at Hospital das Clínicas will treat drug addicts in Cracolândia

Scheduled to open in mid-October, the Perdizes unit at Hospital das Clínicas should help in the treatment of drug addicts in Cracolândia, who have spread throughout the central region of São Paulo in recent months.

One of the attempts to remedy the situation, creating beds to treat users, is precisely the new building on Rua Cotoxó, in the west of the city. The unit has 23 thousand square meters and was initially expected to be ready in 2014. But after repeated delays and the Covid-19 pandemic, the place should finally open next month. .

An auxiliary wing of the Hospital das Clínicas had been operating at the address since 1971, serving patients in recovery and, later, receiving terminally ill patients.

With the renovation, the building was expanded and will have 200 beds, 80 of which will be dedicated exclusively to the treatment of diseases related to the use of alcohol and drugs.

The unit, however, will not directly serve users. As in the entire Hospital das Clínicas complex, patients will have to be referred to Perdizes by primary and secondary care units, such as Caps (Psychosocial Assistance Center), general hospitals and Basic Health Units (UBS).

This is because HC Perdizes is intended for tertiary care, that is, for highly complex cases referenced by the Center for Regulation of Health Services Offers (Cross), a service linked to the State Department of Health.

According to the HC press office, the unit is in the final phase of installing and adapting the areas, with all the equipment acquired, and the process of hiring the teams has already started.

“Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP clarifies that the new 80 beds that are being opened at HC Perdizes will make up the network of vacancies made available for public health, with referral made by Cross and having as a care profile cases of chemical dependence of high complexity and short stay, who may benefit from outpatient follow-up, based on the expertise of the work that is already carried out at the Psychiatry Institute of the complex”, says the HC, in a note.

The HC also emphasizes that “HC Perdizes’ mission will be to create a model of treatment and prevention in the area of ​​alcohol and drugs, which can serve as a reference for a broader program, in partnership with the state and municipality”.

For the treatment of drug addicts, the Perdizes unit will have a day hospital, medical and multi-professional outpatient clinics, a physiotherapy and physical activity gym, in addition to living spaces and therapeutic meetings. “It will have complete structure so that the referred patient has full assistance in the treatment of chemical dependence, based on the protocols adopted by the HC Institute of Psychiatry, which is a reference in the specialty”, completed the HC note.

“The Hospital das Clínicas de Perdizes will be an important reinforcement, as we will be able to expand the care and treatment of drug addicts in the central region of the capital”, comments the Secretary of Health of the state of São Paulo, Jean Gorinchteyn.

“In addition to this, the government actions that are already being developed by Cratod (Reference Center for Assistance to Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs), together with the city hall. Since 2019, there have been more than 6,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 receptions to this population. There is a large network of reception and hospitalization for drug addicts in the state”, added the secretary.

According to the Department of Health, the folder still maintains about 5,000 beds in hospitals and clinics across the state for the care of drug addicts, in addition to support in therapeutic communities.

In addition to the wing for the treatment of drug addicts, HC Perdizes will also have an inpatient unit for transitional care for patients in various specialties, with 120 beds for comprehensive care for non-critical acute cases, such as post-surgical patients. According to the HC, this block will be equipped with a computerized tomography, digital X-ray and ultrasound, in addition to a collection point for clinical analysis exams that will serve the entire complex.

The initial value of the work, according to the TCE (State Audit Court), was R$ 63.4 million, but the government of São Paulo ended up investing R$ 79.3 million. And another R$ 12 million is being spent on the purchase of equipment and furniture.

When operating at full capacity, the unit is expected to be able to perform more than 2,200 hospitalizations per year, 5,000 day-hospital visits, 16,000 outpatient medical consultations, in addition to other multidisciplinary care, such as psychology, physiotherapy, speech therapy and assistance. Social.