The Ministry of Health (MoH) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UWI and UNICEF to establish Mental Health Chatline
In a release, the MoH said the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) rank among the top five regions globally experiencing worsening mental health conditions, particularly exacerbated by the pandemic.
This crisis has significantly impacted young persons who are among the most vulnerable.
In response to this urgent need, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St Augustine and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Mental Health Chatline in Trinidad and Tobago as a show of commitment to providing accessible and effective remote mental health services tailored specifically for adolescents and youth.
The Chatline service is intended to provide accessible, text based support, referrals and information on mental health resources and services, and will be manned y volunteers, specially trained by the Department of Behavioural Sciences.
The hope is that this Mental Health Chatline will mitigate the effect of risk factors related to stress, high levels of violence, suicide and drug abuse among others.
Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, congratulated all parties invovled and said “this venture is a realisation of a whole society, whole of government approach to dealing with the issue of suicide.”
The signing ceremony took place at the Office of the Campus Principal, The UWI St. Augustine Campus on Monday 5th August 2024.