The Vert Bois university campus in Montpellier (illustration) – N. Bonzom / Maxele Presse
- The CROUS, the Red Cross and the CHU now offer a system to support students in distress in Montpellier.
- When a young person in difficulty is spotted by the CROUS services, a Red Cross team is dispatched to his room to listen and support him.
- Support is then offered, depending on the student’s needs.
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Social life erased, loss of a job, fuzzy future … In Montpellier (Hérault), the Red Cross is at the bedside of students in distress. For a month, when it was alerted by the Crous, the association immediately dispatched a team made up of a health professional and three volunteers trained in psychological support, in the university room of the young person in a situation of discomfort.
It was the CROUS which asked the Red Cross and the CHU, after the total closure of the campuses in the fall, to set up emergency aid for students in a situation of psychic tension in the rooms it manages. . “We drew the conclusion of the difficulties encountered by many students, and of the not necessarily relevant responses available to us to take charge of them, when they are in critical situations”, explains Pierre Richter, General Manager of Crous in Montpellier. .
In his room, the student is supported and listened to
Until now, when students in distress were identified by the CROUS, a doctor on duty was requested, or they were invited to go to the emergency room, or to a doctor of their choice. “An alternative that was not satisfactory, report the services of the CROUS, since nearly 70% of students not under urgent medical care did not go for consultation. “
From now on, with this device, called Direct, the Red Cross intervenes quickly in each student whose CROUS services or referent students detect an acute situation of unease. And this, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In his room, the student is supported and listened to. “We take the time,” explains Clément Marragou, the departmental manager of the Red Cross. Our team can stay thirty minutes, an hour or even an hour and a half with the student, we are not part of a team that has other interventions to do afterwards. “
And, depending on the case, its maintenance at home, with psychological follow-up, or its support in emergencies can be considered. Since its launch, eight students have benefited from this assistance, seven of whom have been supported at the CHU. “These are students who, until now, refused to go to the hospital or to a mental health professional,” says Clément Marragou. We realize that this device is essential, there is a real need. This support, unique in France, could soon be adopted by other Crous in France.
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