When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in March 2020, the Ministry of Health was at the highpoint of an important project with PAHO, designed to promote and strengthen Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) among healthcare and community workers, as well as the general public, in the aftermath of the 2017 hurricanes. While the response to the pandemic precluded the continuation of the project as originally designed, the psychosocial and mental health needs on the ground persisted. Moreover, new concerns emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an effort to provide the type of support that the country needed in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, PAHO in collaboration with the BVI project management team, developed a Project Adaptation for COVID-19 MHPSS Response in BVI, which was approved by the Ministry of Health and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in July, 2020. The Project Adaptation for COVID-19 seeks to support the Government in its efforts at reducing suffering and improving the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
A key component of this adaptation is the Webinar Series designed to provide persons with the knowledge and skills needed for coping with the pandemic and its inherent challenges. To ensure the specific needs and concerns of various groups are addressed, the webinars are deliberately designed to target a wide range of persons and sectors including shelter managers, healthcare workers, clinical staff, parents and teachers, and the general public. To date, about 10 webinars have been conducted and some of the topics covered include:
- Coping with COVID-19 stress during the hurricane season;
- Basic Psychological Skills;
- Parenting through the pandemic;
- Improving mental health for health care staff; and
- Resilience: the science and the practice.
The webinars have generally been well-attended by an average of more than 40 persons per session. They have also received highly positive reviews by participants, who have confirmed that the knowledge and skills acquired will help them in both, their professional and personal lives.
In addition to the Webinar series, the BVI-PAHO project has conducted a needs assessment in order to garner information from the public about their information and knowledge needs pertaining to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Preliminary findings reveal that most of the nearly 150 individuals who completed the needs assessment have some or a lot of knowledge about the COVID-19, however, some of the areas requiring additional information include strategies for managing stress related to the pandemic. It is expected that the results of the needs assessment will be useful in guiding future interventions, including communication campaigns by the Ministry of Health.
The PAHO BVI project will come to an end on June 30, 2021, by which time it is expected that some of the activities to promote mental health and psychosocial support will continue to be spearheaded by the BVI team through ongoing webinars and other similar interventions.