Nine leading organisations in North Holland and Flevoland are joining forces to improve mental health across the region. By connecting knowledge and experience, the partners are committed to tackling major mental health challenges together and working towards a sustainable, long-term agenda.
In the Netherlands, almost half (48%) of adults have had one or more psychological or psychiatric disorders during their lifetime (Trimbos-instituut). In the North Holland and Flevoland region, all partners aim to reduce these numbers.
Collaboration
This collaboration is unique: all parties are coming together on an equal and reciprocal basis to set a shared course. The recently developed outline plan forms the foundation for this effort. It sets out the initial steps to strengthen and improve existing connections, as well as to create new, effective partnerships.
The partners involved: Amsterdam UMC (and its departments—psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and medical psychology), Arkin, GGD Amsterdam, GGZ Centraal, GGZ inGeest, GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord, Levvel, OLVG, and Parnassia Noord-Holland.
Arne Popma, Head of the department of Psychiatry at Amsterdam UMC, explains: “We want to improve broad mental health with all available knowledge in the right place, at the right time in development. And we want to get a little better at this every day.”
Regional partnership
The added value of this regional collaboration is significant. By joining forces, the partners can respond more quickly to current themes, such as prevention, early identification, and reducing waiting lists in mental health care. Through joint exploration, an inventory is made of who has which knowledge and expertise and where further development is needed. Existing knowledge and information are brought together, and innovations are tackled collectively. In the short term, the board members will prioritise themes to prevent fragmentation. Existing knowledge infrastructures will be reassessed and new infrastructures will be established. The aim is to unlock, exchange, develop, and promote knowledge. Think of data-driven structures, academic collaborative centers, and consultation structures.
Development for society
This collaboration benefits the citizen, as care is better aligned and there is more attention to the needs of society. Research is seen as an important driver for further development of care in the region. In this way, research and innovation are aligned as much as possible with the frameworks of the AZWA (Aanvullend Zorg- en Welzijnsakkoord). This regional collaboration is in line with the formation of mental health networks NZA (national programme NZN).
De Nieuwe Amsterdamse School
On Thursday, 22 January, the network organised the symposium ‘De Nieuwe Amsterdamse School’. Under the theme ‘in motion’, this special event highlighted the dynamics of boundaries, movement, and change within care, science, and society. The board members of all involved institutions presented their progress. The symposium was a connecting start to jointly shoulder the new regional plan.
In the coming years, the organisations will continue to meet annually to challenge each other, push boundaries, and confirm the joint course. In this way, they are building step by step towards a mentally healthier region, with collaboration and innovation at its core.