NJAMHAA-FY21-annual-report

27 shortly after she survived the tsunami that claimed the lives of nearly 300,000 children and adults in Southeast Asia in December 2004. She immediately provided assistance to relieve workers and imparted her knowledge of mental health issues to citizens of Sri Lanka through communication with the Prime Minister’s Office and an interview on the country’s official television station. She also worked with members of NJAMHAA’s Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (now the Life Sciences and Innovation Council) to provide medications and supplies to the people of Sri Lanka. Dr. Wentz worked with the Neurosurgery Development Foundation, a non-governmental charitable organization in Sri Lanka and experts in trauma from NJAMHAA to assemble a team, including an expert trainer on trauma treatment and a cultural ambassador, to develop a training program, which was delivered in Sri Lanka tri- lingually to more than 100 counselors, medical professionals, teachers, religious leaders and volunteers on recognizing symptoms of mental illnesses and substance use disorders (SUD) and, when appropriate, referring people to treatment. Through evaluations, it was determined that more than 200,000 people were positively impacted directly or indirectly from this training. In 2012, NJMHI transitioned the project into the Sri Lanka Mental Health Relief Project to educate the people of Sri Lanka about the symptoms of mental illness and SUD and how to obtain help. As civil strife in Sri Lanka at that time prevented NJMHI from sending individuals to provide more training, NJMHI with Sri Lankans developed culturally sensitive, trilingual brochures about the symptoms of mental illness and self-care techniques that were printed, distributed in Sri Lanka and evaluated for their impact. For the final phase of this project, NJMHI selected the Sri Lanka Center for Development Facilitation’s (SLCDF’s) proposal, Program for Community Leaders to Enhance their Capacity as Facilitators on Basic Mental Health Needs/Requirements , to provide training and follow-up to individuals from rural and remote areas of Sri Lanka, which do not have a consistent cohort of clinicians, in 2018 and 2019. According to the SLCDF, 50 families (250 individuals) directly benefited from this project and 1,500 families will benefit indirectly. In November and December 2020, NJMHI began exploring the idea of establishing a Center of Excellence (COE) on Social Determinants of Health and Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. NJMHI conducted focus groups with more than 40 individuals from NJAMHAA member agencies, who expressed unanimous support for this plan. The purpose of the COE will be to assist New Jersey providers who serve individuals with mental illness and SUD in the places where they live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life risks and outcomes. Goals were identified in four areas: education and training; supports/resources and technical assistance; networking and partnerships; and policy development. Efforts are currently under way to secure initial funding to launch this important project. In addition, NJMHI is working on reestablishing an Advisory Board to share their expertise and advice for the COE and other initiatives. Meanwhile, NJMHI is also exploring additional initiatives that will benefit NJAMHAA members and the individuals they serve. While visiting the U.S. in 2019, the Venerable Dr. Ethkandawaka Saddhajeewa Thero from Sri Lanka met with Dr. Wentz to discuss the curriculum for the third and final phase of the Sri Lanka Mental Health Relief Project.