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Thienpondt, Chris. “AZ Alma opent kinder- en jeugdpsychiatrie voor jongeren die het moeilijk hebben: 'Nu al wachttijden van meer dan vier maanden.’” Nieuwsblad.be, 6 May 2022. https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220506_95578853. Accessed 6 May 2022.
NL to EN translation:
“AZ Alma opens child and youth psychiatry for young people who are having a hard time: ‘Waiting times of more than four months already’”
In the presence of Deputy Kurt Moens (second from left) the ribbon was cut on Friday afternoon.
EEKLO - AZ Alma opened a new child and youth psychiatry worth 3 million euros along Blakstraat in Eeklo on Friday. Timanti is the name of the daycare, Finnish for diamond, and it is intended for children and young people between 12 and 18 years old who have lost their way. “We want to see every teenager shine. In twelve weeks we try to get them back on the road.”
Chris Thienpondt
Friday, May 6, 2022
Red Nose Day collects money to help young people feel good about themselves. The new Timanti pavilion, along Blakstraat in Eeklo, has the same goal, but specifically focuses on those young people. Young people between the ages of 12 and 18 can be helped in a day care by a team of a child psychiatrist and employees.
AZ Alma already operated as a child and adolescent psychiatry, but now has all the resources and facilities available in a new building to assist young people in need in more than ideal circumstances. “We used to be spread over the Almahuis - homely and good - and the fifth floor of the hospital: small, cramped and in that hospital atmosphere,” says Stephanie Peene, therapeutic manager. “We have everything here to guide young people in a perfect way.”
(read more below the photo)
The light-filled environment and the colorful artworks of Tramaine de Senna make Timanti a pleasant building.
There are two living groups, for 7 to 8 young people who no longer know what to do at home, at school or elsewhere. The youngest is currently 11, the oldest 17. There is a music room, a relaxation room, a sports hall, a classroom where young people can pick up something from the lessons in consultation with the schools, and a patio with kicker, darts, cozy seats... where young people can move freely and meet each other. “We want to give our children and young people a safe basis to come back,” says coordinator Greet Plettinx. “We help young people who get stuck in life. Often do not want to go back to school. Or sitting with gloomy thoughts. Step by step we try to integrate them back into school and in the real world.”
On average, young people stay in Eeklo for 12 weeks to get back on the right track, although they still receive guidance afterwards. Children are often referred via the CLB, but parents can also contact Timanti directly. The queues are long though. New places will only become vacant after the summer holidays, in September or October.