PHCAN for Mental Health and Wellness

In the midst of a rapidly evolving situation like the COVID-19 outbreak full of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel stressed. Many of us feel helpless, while some of us have even gone through extreme changes in our sleeping and eating habits. Yes, we need to think about ways to slow the spread of the virus, but we also need to think about our mental health and wellness during this time of social distancing. Many Filipinos are experiencing increased feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, impatience, irritability, or frustration. According to the members of Public Health Communications Advisory Network (PHCAN), these are all normal and expected feelings to have during this time. Their advice? To take note of these feelings and take care of our mental health in the same way we do our physical health.

PHCAN help us cope

As part of their weekly FB Live sessions every Saturday, PHCAN will be tackling the topic of mental health and wellness on April 18 at 2PM. We’ll be hearing from several experts the many ways we can increase our resilience during this time. Follow the official PHCAN Facebook page for more updates.

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About the Speakers:

Leilanie Nicodemus is currently the director of the Gender Institute of UP Manila. She is also Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine of Seamen’s Hospital and has founded the WAVES program for Families of Seafarers. She is a family counselor and is a trained health professional educator. She has received training and certification on Health Professionals Education at Keele University and the University of the Philippines.

Disi Yap-Alba is a recognized and multi-awarded Health professional from Bohol. She was a GUSI peace Prize Winner For Medicine in 2019 and has been a National Director of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians for the past 20 years. She was the medical director of Englewood Hospital in Tagbilaran before her retirement. She is also a television and movie actress and producer with several productions to her name. She lives by herself as all her children are busy with their respective careers abroad.

Aileen Espina specializes in family medicine and received her MS in Public Health from the UP Open University. She was the Chief of Medical Professional Staff for the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, the last standing hospital after typhoon Yolanda. She was also the chief architect of EVRMC’s Build Back Better initiative.

About PHCAN  PHCAN is an official partner of the Department of Health (DOH) that seeks to drive a social movement to buy more time for the country’s healthcare system by communicating critical and verified public health messages on COVID-19 to families. It is composed of doctors and healthcare professionals, dedicated to empowering families and communities to care for their loved ones during these challenging times.

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Life after COVID-19: Stories of Survival

As of April 7, the Department of Health reported 414 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease in the country, raising the total number to 3,660. The Philippines now has 163 fatalities, and 73 recoveries. But while the number of deaths outnumber recoveries, most people who contract the virus go on to get better. That’s because 80% of people who contract the coronavirus will only experience relatively mild symptoms, or even no symptoms at all.

While most will recover from contracting COVID-19, the peculiar nature of recovery is it requires isolation. And patients, in addition to being sick, will oftentimes also experience great anxiety and afraid. According to the members of Public Health Communications Advisory Network (PHCAN), COVID-positive patients should be shown kindness and compassion, and not discrimination and fear.

As a follow up to their first FB Live session last April 4, PHCAN will be holding another Live session this Saturday, April 11 at 2PM, with Dr. Iris Isip-Tan together with COVID-19 survivors to discuss recovery, coping, and moving forward during this very challenging time. Follow the official PH CAN Facebook page for more updates and tune in to hear the stories of recovered COVID-19 patients.

About PHCAN

PHCAN is an official partner of the Department of Health (DOH) that seeks to drive a social movement to buy more time for the country’s healthcare system by communicating critical and verified public health messages on COVID-19 to families. It is composed of doctors and healthcare professionals, dedicated to empowering families and communities to care for their loved ones during these challenging times.