Mental Health Care Transformation (Extended)
When there were nobody that knew about
mental health, Carter Center came and started training. Training nurses, physician assistant. The Carter Center’s role in helping
to develop the mental health system in Liberia has been very, very, very pivotal. When we started off in Liberia,
at that particular point in time, there was only one psychiatrist
for a population of more than 5 million. I remember when my grandmother first told
me about the work that she was doing in Liberia. I was 25, and she told me a 25-year-old
Liberian would have gone through two civil wars and not had any
support for mental health. We trained over 360
advanced practice specialists in psych mental health that were recruited
from all across this country. I was part of the first cohort
of Carter Center training. I grew the passion for mental health
because you see somebody that look like they are of no use,
and you work with them, and they become somebody better. Over 15 years, The Carter Center has helped
revise Liberia’s mental health law and integrated short mental health
educational programs into trainings for the national police force,
school teachers, midwives, and tuberculosis nurses. We have managed to train
over 1,000 of those folks. These efforts have made life better
for tens of thousands of people, people like Ruth Oko,
who overcame depression following the death of her mother with the help
of a school-based mental health clinician. Archie Pitah, who left behind a life of drugs
and petty theft after he met a tuberculosis nurse who not only cured his physical
illness, but convinced him that he could change. Sarah Nyanti, a young woman struggling
with postpartum depression who found contentment and a career after a midwife
recognized her condition and offered help. From the beginning,
The Carter Center and the Liberian Ministry of Health worked hand in hand. So much progress has been made
that the country now needs much less Carter Center support. We think a lot has been done to increase
the competencies and the number of the workforce. I’m extraordinarily proud
of my colleagues here. I get choked up.
I’m really proud of them. They’re doing amazing things. As part of its work to ensure
the sustainability of Liberia’s mental health system, the Center developed
a master’s mental health curriculum. We transferred what was master’s-level
training into an institute of higher education
with United Methodist University, and it meets international standards. Here in West Africa, the first. Other countries in Africa have taken note. We have a lot of requests
that have come to us, like, Can The Carter Center do what they
have done in Liberia in our country? We invited them to come and see
what we have done in Liberia. Is this something that you think you like?
And they’ve all been impressed. The Center has begun working on mental
health issues with the Ministries of Health in Sierra Leone and Uganda,
with additional expansion possible. That is really important because
if you look at Africa, the majority of their population,
they are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. And if you take care of their mental
health care, that can actually contribute a lot towards their economic
generation in the country. Klubo Mulbah is proud of Liberia’s mental
health successes, proud to have been part of her country’s first cohort of mental
health clinicians, and proud to now be part of the first
group that will receive master’s degrees in mental health. Carter Center is the one
that pay my school fees. Carter Center have come to our aid. They have done great things for us. They have shown the potential in us. They have made us to be able to help our
generation, our people, to teach, to treat. So I’m grateful to Carter Center.
Fifteen years ago, one psychiatrist served Liberia’s 5 million people. Today, the country has more than 360 trained clinicians, a graduate-level mental health program, and countless people getting the help they need to thrive. That’s the Carter Center’s impact in Liberia — a legacy of care and lives changed.
Learn more about the Rosalynn Carter Mental Health and Caregiver Program:
https://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/index.html
The Carter Center is guided by the principles of our Founders, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. Founded, in partnership with Emory University, on a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering, the Center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
For more information about the Carter Center’s work, visit: https://www.cartercenter.org/
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