The XXV World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention/IASP was held in Montevideo, from October 27-31.  The inaugural session was presided over by the Minister of Public Health, María Julia Muñoz, who shared the table with Dr. Brian L. Mishara, President of IASP; Silvia Peláez, President of the Organizing Committee of the Congress; and Jorge Rodríguez, Coordinator of the Mental Health Program of the Pan American Health Organization.

For further information, visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention/IASP.

Subregional Workshop on Suicide in Uruguay

Preceding the XXV World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention/IASP, on October 26-27, the Pan American Health Organization and the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Geneva, together with Uruguay’s Ministry of Health, held a Workshop on Prevention and control of suicidal behavior. Several South American countries, as well as experts on this subject, participated in the activity.

Subregional Workshop on Suicide control and Prevention in Guyana

The Ministry of Health of Guyana, in collaboration with PAHO/WHO, hosted a two day workshop on the “Prevention and Control of Suicide Behavior” (September 7-8). The meeting, which was attended by the Minister of Health, was supported by the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Geneva.

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After Hurricane Ida hit El Salvador last November 7, the National Government declared national disaster and the Ministry of Health noted among its priorities the development and implementation of a plan to protect mental health. 

For the emergency, the Pan American Health Organization mobilized a team of 14 experts in crisis management, damage assessment, communication, and health and mental health services, among others.  The PAHO/WHO mental health team was made up of Amalia Ayala and Ivonne Affolter (PAHO/El Salvador), and Víctor Aparicio, Subregional Advisor on Mental Health (PAHO/Panama).

Technical Cooperation Program between Uruguay and Chile

With the presence of national authorities, local mental health professionals and a delegation from Chile’s Ministry of Health, the first meeting of the technical cooperation program between the two countries was held in Montevideo, Uruguay. This program is supported by PAHO/WHO.

The final workshop of the technical cooperation project between Honduras and Panama on “The Mental Health Component in General Hospitals” was held in Colon last November 18. The base document for this agreement was also approved. The Workshop was attended by a Honduran delegation as well as by an important group of mental health professionals from Panama that work in general hospitals. The Coordinator of the National Program on Mental Health, Aldacira de Bradshaw, the Director of the National Mental Health Institute, Ricardo Goti, and the PAHO/WHO Subregional Advisor on Mental Health, Dr. Victor Aparicio, also participated in the event.

With the participation of 120 professionals from diverse regions throughout Chile, this VII International Workshop was organized by the School of Public Health and MEDICHI (Health Digital Learning Network), an academic initiative that represents a strong alliance between the University and the Ministry of Health, along with the sponsorship of PAHO, and with the goal of directly influencing services. 

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This workshop took place in the auditorium of the San Benito Menni Psychiatric Hospital in Santa Cruz de la Sierra,Bolivia, October 2009,  with the participation of Hugo Cohen, PAHO/WHO Subregional Advisor on Mental Health, as special guest.  Patricia Tapia, Regional Representative of the Mental Health Program, coordinated the activity. The participants included national authorities and representatives of various hospitals, psychiatric institutions and mental health services from La Paz, Sucre, Cochabamba y Santa Cruz. Representatives of the Bolivian Society of Psychiatry, of the Sociedad Cruceña de Psiquiatría, of the Association of Psychologists, and of local educational institutions were present as well.

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