The initiative, unveiled on Friday, aims to provide a structured yet supportive work environment where patients can receive training in various vocational skills, paving the way for their reintegration into society.

The project, designed to offer a structured yet supportive work environment for individuals with mental health challenges, will focus on skills such as carpentry, joinery, woodworking, furniture making, cabinetry, and furniture repair and refurbishment.

Maureen Graham, chairperson of the Legacy Foundation’s board of trustees, described the workshop as “a haven of opportunity” for hospital patients, and a critical component of the psychiatric hospital’s inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programme.

“We believe that investing in such programmes is not just an act of charity, but rather a fundamental responsibility,”
Graham told the brief ceremony to launch the initiative. “By modernising, retooling, and upgrading this workshop, we aim to create an environment where participants can develop skills, build confidence, and take meaningful steps towards reintegrating into society.”

David Leacock, director of the hospital, emphasised the crucial role of sheltered workshops in the recovery process, stating that they were a stepping stone on the journey to recovery for those with mental health challenges and disabilities. Leacock added that the workshops also allowed these individuals to rediscover their strengths and experience the dignity that comes with making a contribution to society.

“These workshops are not merely places of employment, they are a sanctuary for empowerment and transformation,” the hospital director said.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, suggested that the initiative was a perfect example of the power of partnership. Collaborative efforts such as these, Ishmael said, were essential in helping vulnerable people. (SB)

The post New sheltered workshop offers hope for psychiatric patients appeared first on Barbados Today.

Cigna said on Monday it will remove AbbVie’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira from some of its lists of preferred drugs for reimbursement in 2025, and recommend... Reuters Health Information

Guyana has asked port health staff to be on the lookout for persons with signs of monkeypox, also known mpox, even as doctors were being put on alert and vaccines have been stockpiled to be possibly given to vulnerable segments of the population, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Saturday. The Health Ministry says mpox ...

A Public Health Nurse, who was in Berbice to inspect progress being made in vaccinating people against the human papillomavirus (HPV), was found dead in a hotel room in New Amsterdam on Thursday morning, police said. He was identified as 63-year-old Wilton Longford Benn who resided at 82 William Street, Kitty, Georgetown. Police said that ...

Guyana has almost eliminated filariasis, widely known locally as ‘big foot’, with remaining work to be done in only two of the ten administrative regions, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said, even as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) announced a new package of assistance to fight ...

Guyana continues to take numerous steps to convince the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that the now six-year-old ban on catfish exports should be lifted, officials said Wednesday. Chief Fisheries Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Denzil Roberts said Guyana’s relevant fisheries regulations and inspection manuals have been updated. US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole ...

Guyana is hesitant to vaccinate people against dengue because of the efficacy of the jab against all of the four sub-types of the mosquito-borne virus, cost and availability of the vaccines, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Wednesday. With ten people already killed by dengue in 2023 and four this year, he said government would ...

At least 2,000 persons can now benefit from a new health centre that has been built in the far-flung Mahaica Creek community of District Number 10, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said. He said the health centre was constructed at a cost of GY$46 million on a plot of land that was donated by Mr ...

Guyana is prepared to test for the Oropouche virus (OROV) which the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) last weekend sounded an alert about, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Monday. He said the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) has the reagents to test for the virus which can be spread by gnats and mosquitoes. “If people ...

Former West Indies cricket captain, Sir Clive Lloyd on Sunday appealed to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders to focus on combatting prostate cancer. Speaking at his investiture with the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) award that coincided with the opening of the summit of regional leaders in Grenada, Sir Clive hoped that the same emphasis ...