Implantation and Implementation of Living Pharmacies-Therapeutic Gardens in Primary Health Care Services in the city of Campinas-SP

Abstract

In 2015, the Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines Group was created, from the Laboratory of Alternative, Complementary and Integrative Health Practices (LAPACIS), from the Department of Collective Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences/ Unicamp, which is developing the project: Implantation and Implementation of a Living Pharmacy in the Municipal Health Network of Campinas/SP, in partnership with the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS). The objective of this article is to report the experience of the Phytotherapy and Medicinal Plants Group of LAPACIS/UNICAMP, highlighting its contribution to the implementation of Living Pharmacies (LF) in Campinas. As of 2017,
technical visits and training on medicinal plants were carried out in 18 health centers, which made it possible in 2018 to write the Medicinal Plant Booklet – SUS Campinas/SP. In 2019, the project received an Honorable Mention and Best Work from the Southeast award, which allowed the continuity of the project and the inclusion of another 23 health centers in the project. In 2021, a diagnosis was carried out that showed the importance of LF for health promotion, and in the mental health care of health workers and service users. It was also observed that during the pandemic, many LF ceased to exist, due to the allocation of workers to actions associated with COVID-19. We also observed that taking care of plants promoted a recovery of the relationship with nature, and of popular and traditional knowledge. However, we have some frontiers to be crossed with the support of district managers, and the awareness of coordinators and health center teams.