Mental Health Services Help Health Workers Improve HIV Services in Central America

By Jenny Alc ázar, Communications SpecialistJanuary 18, 2022" During the pandemic, there have been a lot of stressful moments,” says Juan,* a health worker who helps clients return to treatment after missing their previous appointments. “And those were in addition to continuing to reach the goals of our HIV program.”It’s no secret that COVID-19 affects mental health and well-being for us all—but especially for health workers. Lack of knowledge about the disease, the spread of misinformation, and fear of contracting COVID-19 have taken a toll on our emotional and physical wellbeing.Health workers on the front lines of this pandemic experience stress, exhaustion, anxiety, and burnout. At the same time, they’re getting less emotional support, sleep, family time, and time off. They suffer, and so do the health services they provide.We had to take care of ourselves in the health center.IntraHealth’sHIV Care and Treatment Project (HCTP) team knew that if health workers on our staff were suffered, so would their clients. SoIntraHealth offered 39 health workers in three countries mental health support through therapeutic sessions with a licensed therapist via phone or video calls to help reduce and manage their work-related stress.“We had to take care of ourselves in the health center, as we were being exposed to clients at the clinic and others who regularly attend outpatient clinics,” Juan says.“IntraHealth provide...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: HIV & AIDS COVID-19 Health Workers Source Type: news