The Regional Secretary for Health announced today the creation of a Regional Network of Support Centres for Children and Youth at Risk in Hospitals and Island Health Units (USI) with paediatric care.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2nd Nordeste Health Forum, Luís Cabral stated that the order authorising the creation of these centres will be published Monday, adding that their mission is to "contribute to the provision of information to the population" regarding this subject.

"This is another of the Regional Secretariat for Health that aims to create multidisciplinary teams for all Island Health Units and Hospitals with paediatric care.

They will support professional interventions in this field," the Regional Secretary said, noting that these centres will also "raise the awareness of the administrative and technical staff for the problem of children and youth at risk, and improve the training provided to professionals working in this area."

Luís Cabral also stated that these teams will also be in charge of "providing support to health professionals and teams with regard to the identification, monitoring and referral of cases, especially in the management of the most urgent and dangerous situations."

"The creation of these centres, which will be coordinated by the Regional Directorate for Health, are evidence that the Government has been implementing measures aimed at the improvement of the health service provided to the Azorean population," said Luís Cabral.

The works of the 2nd Nordeste Health Forum, held under the theme "Growing healthy to give life to the years," are focused on child/juvenile health problems and the measures to be taken in order to prevent them.

At the opening session, Luís Cabral praised the "excellent work" that is being developed under the Regional Programme for Early Intervention, promoted by the Regional Secretariat for Health, "through several technical teams and the coordination teams."

There has been a "significant improvement in the support and management of the available resources," which evidences "a quality work on all islands of the archipelago and a good example at a national and even international level."

The Regional Secretary for Health also highlighted, on behalf of the Government, the effort and the prompt response of the professionals of Nordeste Health Centre when bad weather affected this municipality earlier this month.