Dominican Republic: Workshop on psychosocial rehabilitation

Santo Domingo, 5-6 May 2011. A workshop on “Psychosocial rehabilitation in the community mental health network” was organized within the framework of the technical cooperation project between Panama and the Dominican Republic. It was coordinated by the mental health national directors of each country, José Mieses and Marcel Penna, respectively. Marcelino López, a Spanish expert from FAISEM (Fundación Andaluza para la Integración Social del Enfermo Mental), also participated in the workshop.

Both countries described local experiences in the field. Panama presented the Social Security Fund (CSS) “Hogar Esperanza” (Hope Home) and INSAM’s Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center; and the Dominican Republic presented Gualey’s Community Center and Haina’s Mental Health Community Center. Aldacira de Brashaw ( Panama) and María Gerónimo King ( Dominican Republic) analyzed the psychosocial rehabilitation component in both countries’ mental health specialization programs. The closing remarks were made by Victor Aparicio, PAHO/WHO Subregional Advisor on Mental Health.