Sensory Park for children and adolescent patients of the Hospital "Dr. Al. Obregia" Hospital, with the support of the Bucharest Mayoralty, ASSMB and UNICEF

Bucharest, 21 November 2023. The Bucharest Mayoralty, through the Administration of Hospitals and Medical Services of Bucharest, and the UNICEF Representation in Romania inaugurated on Tuesday a Sensory Park for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, at the Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry "Prof. Dr. Al. Obregia" Bucharest.

The sensory park at the Obregia Hospital is a space with a double purpose: therapeutical - for children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental disorders; and socialization, for adolescent patients. Exposure to certain sensory experiences helps children with neurodevelopmental disorders develop and regulate their reactions to external stimuli.

Sensory experiences are essential for children's brain development. Sensory integration problems are common in neurodevelopmental disorders and appear from the earliest years of life, and prevention activities and services are particularly important for later therapeutic development.

The beneficiaries will be not only children and young people from Bucharest, but also from the surrounding areas of the capital.

"We want to make Bucharest a more child-friendly city, to offer them more quality services, and the memorandum we signed last year with UNICEF, within the framework of the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative, was a first step followed by concrete actions such as the installation of this Sensory Park. The mental health of the younger generation is a living concern of the municipality and, through the ASSMB, we offer a wide range of services from prevention to specialised services when needed. Together with UNICEF and other partners, we can develop programmes and projects so that we can support the most vulnerable and live in the European city capital that we all want", said Mayor General Nicușor Dan.

Using the new space provides an opportunity to engage in sensory exploration in a safe space so that children and their families can learn what triggers certain reactions and what helps them calm down. The sensory park has equipment that stimulates users visually, aurally and tactilely.

"There is an urgent need for Romania to invest in the provision of quality mental health services for all children and adolescents. One in ten children in Romania needs such services every year and I am glad that we can take steps in this direction, together with our partners in Bucharest, with whom we have had an increasingly consistent collaboration in recent years. Bucharest has the capacity to develop models for the rest of the country, in many directions of action, to make communities more child-friendly", said Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania.

"I would like to thank our partners at UNICEF Romania, with whom we have achieved so many good things for the children of Bucharest. Our excellent collaboration continues with projects that are already underway and that will make more effective the therapy of young patients of the Clinical Psychiatric Hospital "Prof. Dr. Al. Obregia", said Oana Sivache, Director of the Administration of Hospitals and Medical Services Bucharest.

"In a world where the only constant is change, key players in education need, more than ever, a sound mind. As a student representative, I want students to be helped, in addition to friendly educational spaces and resources, to build emotional stability and manage feelings effectively. I welcome the partnership between UNCEF and local authorities, which is taking concrete steps to support young people's mental health", said Aris Banuțoiu, Acting President of the Municipal Council of Students, Bucharest.