A thousand people vindicate the role of the third sector in mental health at an event in Sineu
Guillem Febrer has asked to understand mental health "from a broader perspective, without contrasting healthcare and the work of social entities"
PalmaAround a thousand people have claimed the role of the third sector in mental health at an event in Sineu on the occasion of World Mental Health Day. The central moment of the day was the reading of a manifesto, which was carried out by Aina Bonet, Victòria Barceló, Laura Ordóñez, Elionor Pons, Alícia Gispert and Gisela Bris, representing the six member entities of the federation, to demand "a change of perspective" on mental health and to defend that the recovery of patients "goes far beyond strictly medical care".
"We, the social entities, are not a complement to the mental health system. We are not an accessory resource. We are not a secondary actor. We are a leading and essential actor in the mental health model that the Balearic Islands need," they pointed out.
In his speech, the president of the federation, Guillem Febrer, asked to understand mental health "from a broader and community perspective, without contrasting healthcare with the work of social entities". The federation defends that psychologists, psychiatrists, hospitals and health services are essential, but the resources that allow for prevention, accompanying people once medical care ends, and helping them to recover their autonomy and their life project are also essential.
In this sense, Febrer defended that the third sector must have a recognized role within the mental health model of the Balearic Islands and demanded sufficient resources and stability for the programs and services developed by the entities.
The work of the federation's entities is reflected in the data corresponding to 2025. In this sense, the six entities attended to a total of 1,545 people, and have 392 professionals and workers, through various programs for labor insertion, housing, support for daily and community life, prevention, awareness-raising and support for families.
The event was attended by the Minister of Families, Social Welfare and Dependency Care of the Government, Sandra Fernández; the President of the Congress, Francina Armengol, and the Mayor of Sineu, Tomeu Mulet. The event, organized by the Mental Health Federation, was also attended by representatives of the six entities that comprise it: the Gira-Sol Association, the Es Garrover Foundation, Estel de Llevant, the Tutelar Demà Foundation, the Deixalles Foundation and the GREC.