Ministry of Health and Wellness Develops Audiovisual Toolkits

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has developed four audiovisual toolkits that are to be rolled out to the public shortly.

Consultant to the Ministry and Government Senator, Dr. Saphire Longmore, who made the disclosure, said the toolkits will cover the four main tenets of health – mental, social, physical, and spiritual.

She indicated that the resources are intended to equip persons with tips for promoting holistic health and well-being.

“When you take care of [the social, physical and spiritual aspects], your mental health is almost automatically seen to. So, we developed four audiovisual toolkits around [these] four dimensions of health that are geared towards especially our secondary schools,” Senator Longmore said.

She was addressing the launch of National Parents Month on Wednesday (November 1) at the ATL Automotive Group on Oxford Road in Kingston.

Senator Longmore, who is a psychiatrist, noted that the video series provides tips for the four focus areas.

Significantly, Dr. Longmore said the initiative is also intended to dispel the negative stigma that is associated with mental health.

“We want to try to attack the stigma, and we want to ensure that the concept of mental wellness is where you incorporate activities in your daily life that sees to your well-being,” she said.

Dr. Longmore noted that while the video series will specifically target youth, it provides valuable information for people of all ages and is particularly helpful for parents and their children.

The Senator encouraged parents to take advantage of the resources.

“A lot of the times in parenting your children, you also have to parent yourself because, if you are not good, it is going to [be reflected] in them,” she emphasised.

The toolkits will be made available through the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC).

National Parents Month is observed annually during November under the auspices of the NPSC.

This year’s theme is ‘Participation for Purpose’.