This paper addresses the challenge of ensuring comprehensive psychiatric care following the conclusion of the pilot program for Mental Health Centers (MHCs). The author notes that Article 5a of the Mental Health Protection Act mandates the provision of care in five specific forms. Once the pilot program ends—no later than December 31, 2026—this requirement will become a prerequisite for contracting services. Currently, however, 25 of the 119 designated service areas are covered by "Type B" centers, which lack an inpatient unit and are therefore unable to provide all five forms of care independently. A further complication is that while the mandate itself is statutory and indefinite, the mechanisms for its implementation—such as population-based lump-sum funding, the mapping of service areas, coordination protocols, and staffing standards—exist only within the temporary pilot-program regulation. This creates the risk of a "legal vacuum" emerging on January 1, 2027.
To address this, the author proposes a three-tiered approach. The first step, to be completed before the end of 2026, involves elevating key safeguards to the level of statutory law. This includes establishing a formal requirement for hospital cooperation, authorizing the integration of the five forms of care within a single organizational structure, and creating a permanent legal basis for data exchange with social services. Subsequently, the Minister of Health should issue a regulation establishing a binding standard for comprehensive care, regardless of the specific organizational model. This standard would define, among other things, the role of a dedicated coordinator, timelines for follow-up contact after discharge, and the entity responsible for ensuring the continuity of care. Implementation of this standard would be facilitated through three equivalent organizational models: subcontracting, a consortium, or holding two separate contracts with the National Health Fund (NFZ). Weronika Tomiak is a social leader, a physician, and a graduate of linguistics for business. In her work, she integrates medical, scientific, and humanistic perspectives, operating at the intersection of health, education, and social innovation. She is the founder and president of the Neurodiverse Foundation (Fundacja Neuroróżnorodni), whose initiatives have reached over 4 million people.
The mentor for this project was Dr. Tomasz Rowiński, a psychologist, assistant professor at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, and a member of the Mental Health Council under the Minister of Health. He is the initiator and first president of the medical entity EZRA UKSW, and a co-creator of the first community-based mental health center for children and adolescents in Warsaw’s Bielany district—an achievement for which he received the "Golden Synapse" (Złota Synapsa) award.
The text of the article is available on the website PolitykaZdrowotna.com. A full report, containing a detailed analysis of the proposals presented, will be published on our website soon.
This work was produced as part of the Young Think Policy Briefs – Health.