Local News
Trust Fund mental health project begins pilot of GP screening and referral protocols
The Trust Fund-financed Improving Mental Health Services Project has started piloting new screening and referral protocols after training GPs, NRPB and the Ministry of VSA said. The Trimbos Institute is advising the project.
By SXM Daily ยท
A Trust Fund-financed project to improve mental health services in Sint Maarten has started piloting new screening and referral protocols after general practitioners (GPs) took part in training, the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) said in an October 2 release.
What is being tested
According to the release, experts from the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands worked with local partners during a recent mission to begin the pilot. It is meant to show how people who need support are recognized and connected to the right service, and where the referral process breaks down.
The release does not say when the pilot started, how long it will run or how many GPs are taking part.
"We want people in Sint Maarten to be able to seek support at an earlier stage and know where they can turn for the care they need," VSA Minister Claret Connor said in the release. Connor was NRPB's director before being sworn in as minister in August.
"Mental health is an ecosystem," said Prof. Dr. Laura Shields-Zeeman, Head of Mental Health and Prevention at Trimbos and Professor of Public Mental Health at Utrecht University. The Trimbos team included Sint Maartener Dr. Andrew Gilmoor, a stakeholder engagement and research consultant.
About the project
The Improving Mental Health Services Project is carried out by NRPB with VSA on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten. It is funded by the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is financed by the Netherlands and administered by the World Bank.
Trimbos is providing 2.5 years of technical advice and, in the first year, helped finalize Sint Maarten's National Strategic Mental Health Plan, according to NRPB and Trimbos. Trimbos lists four focus areas: governance capacity for policy and planning, financing models, promotion and prevention, and protocols for professionals in the mental health network.
The project also supports a new purpose-built facility for the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) at St. John's, NRPB said.
World Mental Health Day
The update comes ahead of World Mental Health Day on Saturday, October 10. The MHF is marking 25 years of service with "The Happiness Event", a street fair in Cay Hill on Friday, October 9.
Sources
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https://nrpbsxm.org/trust-funds-mental-health-project-making-mental-health-support-easier-to-access-in-sint-maarten/
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https://www.trimbos.nl/actueel/nieuws/werken-aan-mentale-gezondheid-op-sint-maarten-een-gezamenlijke-inspanning/
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https://www.sintmaartenrecovery.org/improving-mental-health-services-project
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https://nrpbsxm.org/nrpb-director-claret-connor-to-be-sworn-in-as-minister-of-public-health-social-development-and-labor/
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https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=67032:trust-fund-s-mental-health-project-making-mental-health-support-easier-to-access-in-sint-maarten