Mayor Jonkie Ouano meets with Dr. Gerardo Aquino of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, officials from the Department of Health and the Department of Public Works and Highways, and Dr. Ligaya Dargantes to discuss the planned upgrade of Mandaue City Hospital. | Photo from Mayor Jonkie Ouano’s Facebook page
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Mandaue City Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Office is strengthening its mental health awareness campaign in schools and barangays.
Niño Krisbayani Dargantes, officer-in-charge of the office, said they regularly coordinate with the Department of Education-Mandaue, which refers mental health-related concerns involving students to their office.
Students experiencing mental health problems may be referred to the office for assessment by psychometricians.
Psychometricians will initially assess the students and refer those who need further intervention to a psychologist or psychiatrist.
READ: For safer Mandaue schools, stronger student mental health envisioned
Dargantes said the office has been conducting mental health advocacy activities in both public and private schools, as well as in barangays.
“Naa naman sa schools ron. Nagconduct nami og advocacies like [sa] St. Joseph private and public,” said Dargantes. (It is in schools now. We are conducting advocacies in, like, St. Joseph private and public.)
More mental health programs in Mandaue
The office is also coordinating with the Department of Education and parent-teacher associations for additional mental health orientations for parents and teachers.
Dargantes said teachers and parents play an important role in identifying changes in a child’s behavior that may indicate an underlying mental health concern.
READ: Mandaue City to launch 24/7 mental health hotline
He said some behavioral changes are often dismissed as normal or temporary, which could result in signs of distress being overlooked.
Meanwhile, Dargantes said there is still no schedule for the conduct of safety drills in city schools. He said there have been concerns about the possible impact of the activity on students’ mental health.
Dargantes cited a statement from the Psychological Association of the Philippines raising concerns that such drills could cause trauma among students.///
READ: Solon: House to keep funding for child protection, mental health in 2027
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
Read Next
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
