13 November- PAHO’s Mental Health and Substance Use Unit hosted a virtual symposium commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Caracas Declaration.
The symposium, which was broadcast on YouTube and attended by nearly 500 participants, invited countries from the region to reflect on the progress that has been made, share national experiences, and establish next steps for continuing to advance the processes of deinstitutionalization, the strengthening of community care, and the integration of mental health into all levels of care in the health system.
The event featured a panel on the way forward, including panelists Dr. Devora Kestel, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at the WHO; Dr. Yuri Cutipé, Director of Mental Health for the Ministry of Health of Peru; Dr. Cecilia Guillen, Coordinator at En Primera Persona A.C, a grassroots organization of women with disabilities based in Mexico; and Dr. Benedetto Saraceno, Secretary General of the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health. Directors of Mental Health from Chile, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago also presented on their national experiences in advancing deinstitutionalization. The event also had the launch of the PAHO document “Deinstitutionalization of Psychiatric care in Latin America and the Caribbean” by Dr Renato Oliveira, Unit Chief Mental Health and Substance Use
The symposium presented two videos developed by PAHO which featured professionals involved with the Declaration and advancing its principles since its development in 1990. The first film addressed the impact of the Caracas Declaration, while the second presented a vision for the future of mental health.
To view the broadcast of the Symposium, please visit the event webpage