Rehab centre cannot go on summer break

The corona lockdown has resulted in an overwhelming demand for drug and alcohol addiction treatment.

So much so that rehabilitation centre Heilbrigdi in Velbastaður sees it as impossible to close down for the summer, according to centre manager Sjúrður Knudsen, who has asked health authorities for a DKK 400,000 extra grant which would enable the centre to remain open during the summer holidays.

Heilbrigdi closed in early March as part of the national corona lockdown and reopened on 4 May. This two-month lockdown has resulted in an exceptionally long waiting list.

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The centre had to close for six weeks last summer due to due to limited funding and a general lack of resources.

With the current demand for treatment, closing again this summer would have disastrous consequences, says Knudsen.

“With certain internal restructuring measures, an extra grant of DKK 400,000 would increase our treatment capacity by 25 percent, which is quite substantial considering that this amount only makes up 5 percent of our annual appropriation of 7.7 million.”

Translated by prosa.fo