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PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre
for Mental Health Nursing
Background
As early as 1996, Dr. Sara Torres, Chairman of the School of Nursing Department of Behavioral and Community Health, approached PAHO to establish a relationships between the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), UMSON and PAHO. As a result, Sandra Land and Dr. Torres gave a joint presentation on Status of Mental Health Nursing in Latin America and the Caribbean at the 1998 NAHN annual meeting.
During a two-year WHO pre-designation period, the University of Maryland worked to establish mechanisms for enhancing technical cooperation in mental health nursing at the country and region levels of the Americas. This started with interactive networks and corresponding with several countries to identify most pressing needs for the mental health of their people As an affiliate of the University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Nursing Collaborating Center, UMSON responded to a request of CEAD and the Colombian Ministry of Health and a proposal was developed for training lay individuals to be community mental health workers to facilitate crisis interventions, and mental health promotion.
Dr. Torres (UMSON) and Sally Raphel (ANA, now UMSON) along with several collaborating center psychiatric nurses participated in the Psychiatric Nursing meeting hosted by PAHO in San Juan, 1998. After a review of past and current technical cooperation projects, recommendations were made to PAHO representatives for a future mental health agenda. Nursing expertise in aggression, violence, standards of care and quality measurement were faculty strengths and expertise. Dr. Torres was assigned a leadership role in the implementation of follow-up activities for the Central American Region.
Regional Projects
UMSON psychiatric nursing expert served as consultant on mental health nursing to Guatemala in early summer 2001. Following meetings with key individuals from the Ministry of Health, the Guatemalan Nurses Association, Schools of Nursing and visits to psychiatric hospitals, the need for capacity building of nurses and particularly mental health nurses was recommended. Participated and presented at a workshop held in Costa Rica on supporting nursing participation in alcohol abuse prevention programs and developed "Mental Health Personnel: Assessment of Roles and Functions in Selected Countries in Latin America survey that was pilot tested in Honduras.
UMSON conducted a needs assessment and hosted a visit of the Honduran mental health team in November 2000. A formal report of follow-up work with Honduras is currently being finalized for publication by PAHO.
The Centre hosted seventeen participants (attendees and faculty) for International Capacity-Building for Nurses from Eastern, Central European Countries and Central America sponsored by the Comision Interamericana para el Control del Abuso de Drogas. UMSON took leadership is convening a team of psychiatric mental health nurse experts the PAHO/NIMH 2001 "Mental Health in the Americas: Partnering for Process " This meeting focused on opportunity for PAHO and its Member States to evaluate each Country's progress for constituents' mental health initiatives, to mobilize the political will, to examine the restructuring of mental health care, to foster partnerships and to promote mental health in the Region. UMSON representatives led the multidisciplinary workgroup on Education and Training and participated on the Policy Workgroup.
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