City wide mental health program eyed

October 11, 2020 Metro BLISTT

There is no physical health without mental health. Councilors Levy Lloyd Orcales and Joel Alangsab quoted this adage in their proposed ordinance that seeks to create a citywide mental health care and wellness program.
Mental health is a part of the totality of a person, thus, it must be protected and maintained through the significant intervention of the city government, the councilors asserted.
The proposed law aims to provide responsive, sociocultural-appropriate, context-based, and timely mental health services in the community, school, and hospital level to address the needs of individuals with psychological, mental health, psychiatric, and neuropsychiatric concerns.
Under the proposed program, the Baguio City Mental Health Council (BMHC) shall be created. The BMHC shall serve as the advisory-body to the city council and may serve as a policy-making body for the implementation of community and recovery-based measures.
The BHMC shall consist of the city mayor as the chairperson; the chairperson of the Sanggunian’s Committee on Health and Sanitation, Ecology and Environmental Protection as the vice chairperson; and the city health services officer as the action officer.
The BHMC shall convene other city officials, agencies, associations, offices, and experts from the field of psychology as members.
The BHMC shall ensure that services provided by the city’s mental health care program is responsive to the clinical, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, ages, and genders of the individuals being served; appropriate and not restrictive; proactive, sustainable, and outcome-based; and provided by licensed health workers.
The ordinance stipulates that mental health services must be preventive and promotive.
To achieve this, the following measures are proposed: Citywide multimedia campaigns to raise the level of public awareness on the promotion and protection of people’s mental health; A24/7 mental health help line to provide assistance to individuals with mental health conditions, especially individuals at risk of suicide ideation; Community-based information forums participated by all barangay officials including the Sangguniang Kabataan officials to capacitate them in advocating and promoting mental health awareness; A school-based mental health program formulated by the schools’ respective guidance counselors, school nurse, administrators, and other concerned staff; and A mental health program to be integrated in both private and public workplaces formulated by their respective Human Resource and Management officers.
The proposal also asserts that the mental health services offered by the city’s program must be curative and rehabilitative, thus seeking to mandate the provision of a psychiatric treatment by the City Health Services Office. The treatment shall be made available only for individuals with mental disorders, neurological disorders, and substance abuse and other forms of addiction.
To guarantee that the treatment conditions and care patients comply with existing regulations, the proposal stipulates that every community-based mental health facility in the city shall be inspected frequently by authorities.
Under the proposed ordinance, a mental health facilitators (MHF) program shall be established to train people outside the field of mental health with regard to giving basic help and developing
referral skills. This move aims to involve more people in the city’s campaign to address the mental health needs of the community.
The ordinance also proposes the decentralization of hospitals that are providing mental health care services by capacitating the professionals deployed in the community. They shall be mobilized to promote social participation and recovery-based approaches through continuous human interaction.
According to the proposal, a key procedure in the decentralization is the systematic coordination between hospitals and community care providers to facilitate the transition of patients from the hospital setting to the community setting in which continuation of treatment of patients towards optimum recovery is ensured. The proposal also suggests the development and enhancement of the resiliency of people in the community who are experiencing or have experienced critical instances.
Once approved, the ordinance shall mandate the following implementing units: The Women and Children Protection Desk of the Baguio City Police Office in coordination with different government offices/agencies and non-government organizations to conduct appropriate mental health activities; and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology -Male and Female dorm to conduct appropriate mental health care programs for persons deprived of liberty.
To improve information systems on mental health-related cases, the ordinance shall call for the registration of all patients under strict confidentiality. The registration process must be in accordance with RA10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The city government shall be enjoined to collaborate with academic institutions, mental health professionals, and NGOs for the implementation of research and development projects with the aim to update and enhance the mental health care and wellness program of the city.
The proposed ordinance was referred to the Sanggunian’s Committee on Health and Sanitation, Ecology, and Environmental Protection for review following its approval on first reading.
Jordan G. Habbiling/ABN