Counseling Program Launched for KHMH COVID Staff
Mind Health Connect Belize, a local organization that spreads awareness on the importance of treating mental health illnesses is partnering with the Ministry of Health and KHMH to provide counseling services to health care workers inside KHMH’s COVID Unit. Newly appointed CEO at KHMH spoke about the need for such a service as the nation battles a third wave of infections.
Michel Chebat
Michel Chebat, Minister of Health and Wellness
“It is a mental health program, and it is intended to focus on the health care workers at the COVID Unit at the KHMH. We are intending to target twenty eight workers initially who will be getting at least ten sessions of counseling, courtesy of Mind Connect Belize.”
Paul Lopez
“How did this partnership come to be, and why did we see the need to offer this assistance?”
Michel Chebat
“Paul, I think if you stop and you see what the health care workers have been going through with this pandemic, I think we all see that they need some sort of psychological support. They have seen a lot of deaths, a lot of illness, disproportionately so. And, I felt it is time that we step up and provide to them some sort of psychological counseling to get them to get through these things and to work through these things. So, this partnership actually came up, I suspect that Mind Health Belize connected with Mrs. Briceño and she in turn touched base with me. And, we decided to partner to sponsor this for the KHMH.”
Paul Lopez
“What is the average cost?”
Michel Chebat
“It is costing us sixteen thousand dollars in total.”
Chandra Cansino
Chandra Cansino, CEO, KHMH
“The Chairman and I did a walkthrough of the COVID Unit on Sunday, and we were able to speak very detailed discussions with some of the physicians and some of the nurses that were there. They were certainly a lot of work to be done to improve the working conditions of the staff of the KHMH COVID unit, included in that is addressing self-care and mental health.”
Paul Lopez
“How do we get them to tap into this service?”
Chandra Cansino
“Well, as health care workers we are all trained to know understand and accept the importance of good mental health. So, I think we are one above, one up on understanding the need for it. It is just ensuring their confidentiality, checking what the uptake will be initially. If we need to get in there and have the discussion with them, we are definitely going to do that as well.”
