Mental health training conducted with Mount Sinai University

In continuing to improve the mental health services provided to vulnerable communities, the Health Ministry’s Mental Health Unit, in collaboration with the New York-based Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, held a train-the-trainers Disaster Mental Health Training on Monday for participants from various communities across Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
Facilitated by Dr Craig L. Katz and Melissa Kelly from the Icahn School of Medicine, the training came just a month after the tragic fire at Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitory which claimed the lives of 20 children, including a five-year-old boy.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has said that with this training, the community healthcare workers would better be able to identify challenges that patients may have, and refer them to professional doctors so that they can get the necessary care needed.
Understanding the significant mental toll that the tragedy placed on families and community members, the Government had dispatched several mental health teams in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) to provide counselling and mental health assistance. These local teams, consisting of psychiatrists, child psychologists, counsellors and social workers, were supported by specialised counsellors hailing from Mount Sinai, Southcom Health Clinic, Northwell Health, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The Ministry, while providing this short-term assistance, has been cognisant of the need to build a long-term mental health system within the Region.
Dr Anthony has also expressed appreciation for Mount Sinai’s continued assistance since the fire, in acquiring medication for injured students and providing DNA testing on the remains of others.
Shortly after the fire, DNA analysis on 13 bodies that were deemed unrecognisable were conducted by Professor and Systems Chair Dr. Carlos Cordon-Cardo, alongside a team of experts at the Pathology Laboratory of Mount Sinai. After their positive identification, the bodies were released to the families so that they could proceed with funeral arrangements.
In addition, Minister Anthony expressed gratitude to the staff of the Health Ministry — both central and regional facilities — for their hard work in assisting with the tragedy.

Telemedicine
Dr Anthony has also disclosed that telemedicine services are being offered in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) communities to improve the level of care available to residents.
“In the affected villages, telemedicine capabilities have been installed to improve and deliver an expanded level of care to those communities,” Dr Anthony has said.
These telemedicine sites aim to bridge the gap between the hinterland and the coastland by allowing medical personnel in the hinterland to get real-time assistance from those working in Georgetown.
Also present at the training on Monday were the Director of Family and Primary Health Care Services, Dr Ertinesia Hamilton; Mental Health Programme Coordinator Dr Timothy Morgan, and Region Eight Regional Health Officer Dr Ravindra Dudnauth.