The overarching aim of HELPS is to improve the physical health status of residents with mental disorders, mental disability or dependency living in social and healthcare institutions. HELPS will develop and implement a physical health intervention tool to be used in such institutions as a major step towards protecting human rights and the dignity of residents living in social and healthcare institutions.
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The strategic objective of the project is to improve the health of migrants and communities affected by migration and, therefore, to tackle existing health gaps. The project’s goal is to enhance the understanding of the complex relationship between health and population mobility.
1) Follow-up and build on recent European initiatives in migration health. In particular, the project will take into consideration the migration health-related conferences and consultations of 2007 and develop synergies with European-level migration health projects currently being implemented.
2) Create a forum for discussions among experts on health and migration. The project seeks to bring together academics, national authorities, representatives of international organizations and NGOs and enable them to exchange their expertise, to discuss concrete cases, identify best practices and draft policy recommendations. The participants will also identify areas in which more data needs to be collected and analysed as well as areas where more research needs to be conducted.
3) Enable EU Member States to learn from each others’ practices and foster dialog among academic institutions, multiple stakeholders in governments, the European Commission, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. The project seeks to encourage these multidisciplinary stakeholders to develop action points for integrating the project’s recommendations into health and related strategies at the national and EU levels. This widened involvement will support a multi-pronged approach beyond the traditional target audience of health professionals.
4) Disseminate widely the final report of the workshop results and consultation conclusions to key stakeholders for migration health issues.
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The main objective of this joint action is to contribute to the promotion of mental health and well-being, the prevention of mental disorders and the improvement of care and social inclusion of people with mental disorders in Europe. This objective will be attained by establishing a process for structured collaborative work on mental health and well-being involving Member States, stakeholders in the health and other relevant sectors, and international organizations, in particular the WHO and the OECD, leading to the development of a common endorsed framework for action addressing issues related to a) promotion of mental health at the workplaces and schools; b) promoting action against depression and suicide; c) developing community mental health care; and (f) promoting the integration of mental health in all policies.


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The project aims to improve the protection of human rights and dignity as well as the general health status of those in health or social care institutions with mental ill-health, mental disability or dependency.
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