Barangays told to conduct regular mental health seminars
City officials recently urged the different barangays in the city to conduct monthly district mental health seminars and spiritual upliftment in coordination with the mental health unit of the City Health Services Office (CHSO).
Under Resolution No. 676, series of 2023, local legislators stated that the conduct of monthly mental health seminars and spiritual upliftment sessions for the youth will be able to raise community awareness and link professional health to the youngsters who have suicidal ideation and for once for all, the city will be able to gradually eliminate mental health cases and suicides.
During the Senior Citizens officials For-A-Day (SCOFAD) session held last October 9, 2023, the SCOFAD Council adopted the proposal of Councilor Jocelyn Paac that urged the different barangays in the city to conduct monthly district mental health seminars and spiritual upliftment activities in coordination with the mental health units of the CHSO.
The resolution was anchored on Section 15, Article 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that provided that the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and to still health consciousness among them.
Under Section 2 of Republic Act (RA) 11036 otherwise known as the Mental health Act, the State commits itself to promote the well being of people by ensuring that mental health is valued promoted and protected; mental health conditions are treated and prevented; timely, affordable, high quality and culturally appropriate mental health case is made available to the public; mental health services are free from coercion and accountable to the service users and persons affected by mental health conditions are able to exercise the full range of human rights and participate fully in society and at all free from stigmatization and discrimination,
Further, Section 37 of the same law provided that the local government units shall establish training programs necessary to enhance the capacity of mental health care service providers at the local level in coordination with appropriate national government agencies and other stakeholders.
The council pointed out that because many of today’s youth are emotionally and psychologically compounding from social factors, and since records from the CHSO would show that the age group more susceptible to suicidal ideation and completed suicides are from the youth sector, thus, it is an urgent need for the local government and all the 128 barangays to intensify mental health seminars for the youth to provide them an avenue to express themselves and where professionals will be able to meet and address their needs.
The body added that the frequency of such conduct of mental health awareness in the barangays shall be made monthly to make it a regular occurrence in the districts and an addition of spiritual upliftment such as commentary activity can also be integrated into the same to address the rising need for more avenues for the youth on mental health services.
Copies of the approved resolution will be transmitted to the city’s barangays for their information, guidance, ready reference and further needed actions. – Dexter A. See
