Health ministry launches staff welfare initiative

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has launched a staff welfare initiative to assess the full impact of Hurricane Melissa on team members in the health sector and to support their recovery.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Errol Greene, said the initiative is intended to provide psychosocial support for staff members, even as the health system continues to recover and rebuild. Greene was addressing the regular weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North at the Jamaica National Group Corporate Offices on Oxford Road on December 1. The initiative, he said, entails several support domains, namely psychological, financial, and environmental.

In the psychological area, there will be an expansion of mental health awareness, the development of coping skills, and the deployment of trauma-informed care. That type of care is an approach that recognises the widespread impact of trauma and seeks to avoid re-traumatisation by prioritising physical, psychological, and emotional safety. The ministry also proposes to engage financial institutions, creating a pathway for affected staff members to access financial resources to support recovery. The environmental aspect of the initiative relates to clean-up activities, community support and the rebuilding of infrastructure.

Green also highlighted that the ministry is leveraging partnerships to assist with the post-traumatic stress that many healthcare workers may still be experiencing. Greene lauded the work of the Pan-American Health Organization, which he said, "continues to lead teams of mental health professionals into the field to safeguard access to care".

"Recognising the immense pressure placed on healthcare teams during and after disasters, the ministry has completed specialised training for over 160 health personnel, who are now deployed to deliver targeted mental health support to front-line health workers," he explained.