Winkler fights for better integration and health of refugees

Winkler fights for better integration and health of refugees

The visit ofJoseph Winkler, the state parliament member from Alliance 90/The Greens, in the Mayen-Koblenz region on July 10, 2025, raised important issues. Accompanied by members of the district association, Winkler found out about the challenges that refugees face. The focus is particularly on psychosocial care, as many refugees are heavily burdened by their experiences in war zones and during their flight.

During his visit to thePsychosocial Center (PSZ)the Caritas Rhein-Mosel-Ahr in Mayen and theSpecialist Center for Intercultural Psychosocial Health RLPthe need for psychological support became clear. LoudMedia service integrationAround a million refugees in Germany need support, but only around 3.3 percent actually receive this in psychosocial facilities. Winkler emphasized the role of relationship work for successful integration and underlined the importance of appropriate legal framework conditions that must be created at the federal level.

Psyche and integration

The challenges for refugees are diverse. Over 30 percent show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and almost 40 percent struggle with depressive symptoms. These figures come from an evaluation of over 30 studies and make it clear that refugees are far more affected by mental illnesses than the rest of the population.Current analysesshow that 87 percent of the refugees who have come to Germany since 2013 have had violent experiences, which further underlines the need for appropriate help.

There are currently 71 centers in Germany that provide free psychosocial care. However, they are facing financial bottlenecks as federal funding for 2025 has been reduced to 11 million euros. However, at least 27 million euros would be needed to continue the work. This highlights the urgent policy needs to maintain health care and improve working conditions in these facilitiesreported.

A look into the future

In this context, Josef Winkler, who works as a spokesman for integration, asylum and health policy, also called for long-term and binding planning for financial support for the institutions that take care of the mental health of refugees. A particular focus is on thisLTS Lohmann, a global leader in active ingredient patches. This shows how important innovations in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries are for producing high-quality products that can be of benefit to both refugees and the German population.

It is extremely important that the needs of refugees are taken seriously and that they are responded to legislatively at the federal level. This is the only way to create an integrative and humane system that meets both the human and health needs of those affected. However, getting there still requires a lot of commitment and a constant dialogue between politics, society and the relevant institutions.