FISP objectives and field of activity

Migrants from an extremely wide range of countries of origin and with highly diverse migration stories live in Switzerland. The aim of the Fachstelle für interkulturelle Suchtprävention und Gesundheitsförderung (FISP) is to improve addiction prevention and health promotion for these people and thus to promote integration in this field.

In order to fulfil this task, FISP works with migrant organisations, intercultural mediators and institutions from the fields of education, health, social affairs, migration and integration.

The institute is supported by the Verein für interkulturelle Suchtprävention und Gesundheitsförderung (VISP), based in Zürich. FISP is active throughout the canton of Zurich and other cantons and also at federal level.

In the field of addiction prevention, acting on behalf of the Gesundheitsdirektion des Kantons Zürich the Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention at the University of Zurich has concluded a service agreement with FISP. New targets and measures are established each year. Financing of the institute is also regulated in this contract: FISP activities in the field of addiction prevention are largely financed by the "Alkoholzehntel" (alcohol tax):
In the Alcohol Law, the Swiss Federal Constitution decrees that the cantons have to use their revenue from the Alkoholzehntel (alcohol tax) to fight alcoholism, addiction and the abuse of sedatives and medication. This revenue passes from the Federation to the cantons and, from there, to the relevant specialist centres.

In the field of health promotion, FISP activities (currently the VIA project and ZüMEB are financed by donations from individuals, foundations, communes, parishes (VIA project) and by a service agreement with the Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention der Universität Zürich (ZüMEB project).