Dijon: The new director of the La Chartreuse hospital center already has her roadmap

Before playing the question and answer game with journalists during her presentation, this Thursday, August 7, Emmanuelle Juan wanted to remind that "the La Chartreuse hospital center is not a hospital like the others. It is of course a place of care, treatment and prevention, but also a place of life and sharing. It is also a high place of Burgundy's heritage. We regularly welcome tourists to the site, which contributes to the link between the city and the hospital. La Chartreuse is also a place of biodiversity, thanks in particular to its 25-hectare park, and finally a place of culture and mediation with, for example, the Hostellerie cultural center."

The new director promises to have as her guiding principle the desire to "give meaning, through dialogue, through listening, to understand health pathways, but also to restore the human element to its rightful place."

She also wants to "unite, because we don't decide anything alone, especially in the field of mental health."

Another key word: "build," both humanely and formally, like the specialized reception center (MAS), currently under construction on the site of the establishment, and whose opening is expected before the end of the year. It will accommodate "adults with mental disabilities requiring enhanced daily support." "It is quite clear that we no longer treat mental health as we did ten or fifteen years ago," the new director emphasizes, "and the Chartreuse has always been innovative in this area."

Following the suspension and departure of the previous director, François Martin, accused of moral harassment , Emmanuelle Juan takes over as head of CH La Chartreuse in a particular context. "I am not unaware of past episodes, but I don't have all the details," she summarizes. "During my first meetings with the teams, there was little echo of what happened previously, but rather a desire for serenity, and to look to the future. This is good because we are in the middle of writing our future 2026-2030 Establishment Project. This will be our roadmap for the next five years, it may evolve along the way, but it will also be a time of reflection on our internal government. I have already felt a real attachment to La Chartreuse among the teams. There is pride in working here, just as I am proud to take over the management of this establishment."

Regarding the mental health of young people, which several publications show is increasingly deteriorating, Emmanuelle Juan considers that "there is undoubtedly a rebound effect of Covid. Many young people have felt these two years as a time when they were unable to build themselves as they would have liked."

In Chartreuse, the Intermède system, in particular, aims to improve the care of adolescents (aged 11 to 17) suffering from psychological distress in the Côte-d'Or department.

"Furthermore, we now offer Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training," adds the new director. "Mental health now affects one in five French people. We may all be called upon to face this type of vulnerability."

Emmanuelle Juan is the first woman to take over as director of CH La Chartreuse: "I didn't know, my secretary told me," she says.

"However, we don't get here by chance. I also say this to young women who are starting their professional careers: dare to push open doors, dare to be ambitious, to find your rightful place. I am also the mother of two young children, aged 5 and 6. It requires a lot of organization, but it's doable. It probably still requires a bit of a change in mentalities, including that of women."