PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing
Receives Four-year Re-designation

Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing is proud to announce that its Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing has been re-designated for a period of four years, from 2006 to 2010. The Center is the first in the nation and one of only two in the world that are WHO-designated nursing centers dedicated to improving mental health care. The Center focuses on mental health nursing through education, training, information, and research projects that involve interdisciplinary collaborations with institutions in South and Central America.

“We are extremely honored to house this Center in our School,” says Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing. “This re-designation allows us to continue our collaborative efforts with colleagues in Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico for strengthening the knowledge base of mental health nursing and practice.”

The terms of reference for re-designation include:

• Collaborating with health and nursing institutions in the PAHO/WHO regions to strengthen the human resources in mental health nursing by expanding the base of mental health nursing, education, and practice
• Continuing to improve the quality of care provided by mental health nurses through the participatory process of development of competencies and standards in the Americas, and
• Promoting and sharing collaborative research across the PAHO/WHO region focused on mental health priority areas and on mental health work force work conditions for the promotion of mental health in the Americas.

“This re-designation confirms the extraordinary work being done by our Center,” says Susanna Nemes, PhD, director of the Center. “Throughout the next four years, we aim to conduct more research in collaboration with other Centers around the world in order to increase the scientific knowledge related to mental health.”

Founded in 1889, the University of Maryland School of Nursing is one of the leading nursing institutions in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top 10 schools of nursing by U.S. News & World Report, the School enrolls over 3,000 students in its baccalaureate, master's, doctoral, and continuing education programs. The School emphasizes the principles of leadership, partnership, and innovation.