The use of and addiction to drugs, both legal and illegal, are among the main public health and quality-of-life problems in developed societies. Added to this are behavioural addictions, such as gambling disorder, which also have a strong individual and social impact.
The Fundación Salud y Comunidad (FSC) was founded in the 1980s with a clear focus on caring for people with drug dependence. Over time, its work has expanded into other areas of intervention related to health and social problems, consolidating an integrated approach to the treatment and prevention of addictions.
At FSC, addictions are approached from a global perspective that includes psychological, biological and social factors. The organisation pays particular attention to the relationship between substance use disorders and other mental health problems, gender-based violence or social exclusion. To this end, it has specialist centres that offer care tailored to each person’s needs.
The Foundation’s work is carried out both through its own services and through the management of public programmes. Its network includes outpatient care services, day centres, therapeutic communities, reintegration flats, services for homeless people with drug dependence problems, and programmes for employment and social reintegration.
FSC also manages public centres and programmes in several Autonomous Communities under contracts or agreements. These include outpatient treatment centres, intervention programmes in prisons and projects aimed at reducing the harms associated with drug use, such as preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Throughout its history, the Foundation’s therapeutic programmes have supported tens of thousands of people. Its preventive activities, aimed at students, young people and families, have also helped to raise public awareness and foster greater understanding of the risks of drug use and addictive behaviours.
