The Mental Health Unit provides national support for the implementation of the national mental health policy. The National Coordinator for the Mental Health Unit is Nurse Yveth Quintania.
THE FUNCTIONS
- Formulate and recommend policies, standards , and guidelines on mental health services and care.
- Support the development of district operational plans.
- Lead the development of operating guidelines, procedures and protocols for the mental health services.
- Provide technical assistance to district mental health teams.
There are 8 Mental Health Services located within the primary health care facilities and on hospital compounds in all districts, including Belmopan.
- 1 residential facility – Palm Center in Belmopan
- 1 intense community treatment service – Belize City
- 1 Day Hospital/Drop-in Center – PLHC, Belize City
- Monthly mobile clinics to Rural areas and Cayes
- Monthly clinic to Kolbe Foundation, DHS residential facilities
- One 4-bed facility – Belmopan
- 2 Inpatient beds – all district hospitals and KHMH (on paper)
These programs consist of: Street Visits, Prison Visits, Home Visits, Mobile Clinic; School Visits, Government and Private Organizations. Sessions are being done on psychotherapy, individual and family counseling on different mental illness, behavioral and cognitive therapy. Sessions include psychotherapy, individual and family counseling on different mental illnesses; behavioral and cognitive therapy. These services to villages depend on availability of transport, and are scheduled for patients living in villages that have limited financial resources, and as well for patients who are non-compliant with treatment.
Our mobile visits include: home, school, prison/jail, other insitutions, street and outreach programs. Students were referred to the PNP’s at the clinics from the different primary schools and also high schools for misbehavior conduct and other psychological problems.
Our Mental Health Educational Sessions are held with adolescent groups from various high schools. Some educational session topics include cancer, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infection, which are discussed at health fais, with hospital and polyclinic staff, community health works and with other various community groups and primary schools. Sessions with teachers are also done on how to identify high risk behavior in adolescents. Lastly, patients are presented with sessions on psychological impacts of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and HIV/AID.
Also, training sessions to sensitize police supervisors on mental illnesses, interventions and the resources that are available is done in all districts. Training on mental illnesses, interventions and resources available is conducted at the Police Training Academy whenever recruits are in.
Despite its many challenges, the mental health program is still an exemplary program. There is certainly room for improvement however a deeply committed staff is what makes this program effective and meeting the needs of the Belizean public.