Community-based mental healthcare center officially opens at HMC

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Enaya Continuing Care Center in Muaither, a new community-based mental health center, has officially opened today.

The opening of the center is a milestone for mental health services in Qatar offering, for the first time, community-based mental health care in a home-like environment. Specialist services provided at the facility include Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service which is a multi-disciplinary outpatient service catering to children and adolescents up to the age of 18.

The center also houses a female adult day care program that is specifically designed for women over the age of 18 who are experiencing long term mental health issues, as well as a female residential service for women with more complex mental needs who require healthcare support but not acute care.

Community outreach services are also offered at the facility including an adult mental health outreach team that provides at-home services including follow up and recovery support to patients who have experienced mental health problems. A similar support service is also available for older members of the community, which is designed to provide mental health support, continuity of care, and a variety of medical therapies in the home.

The facility works alongside HMC’s existing hospital-based services in order to deliver a complete spectrum of care, collectively providing services that cater to varying stages of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery, according to H.E. Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health and HMC’s Managing Director.

“The benefit of community-based care options for the treatment of mental health issues are vast; a community setting is widely recognized as more beneficial for specific cases, particularly those patients who are in a rehabilitation or recovery phase,” said Al Kuwari.

“While hospital-based care can sometimes be necessary for patients with acute conditions, there is clear evidence to show that a number of conditions are best supported in the community, which is why HMC is developing community-based care options,” Her Excellency added.

Enaya is the name given to a number of continuing care services offered by HMC. These services include a Specialized Care Center in Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City and a community-based, male-only residential compound also located in Muaither, according to HMC Chief of Continuing Care Group Mahmoud Al Raisi.

“Providing continuing care options in a community-based setting is a key HMC goal that has been informed by the Qatar National Mental Health Strategy, and the new Muaither facility recognizes the need to move appropriate services to these settings, while emphasizing preventative models of mental health care,” said Al Raisi. 

“HMC is in preliminary stages of opening similar centers in other parts of Doha and the rest of Qatar following the successful implementation of this model of care,” added Al Raisi.