PH 265 Chapter Notes - Chapter 0: Connaught Hospital, Ebola Virus Disease, Mental Health Nurse

• School: University of Rochester
• Department: Public Health
• Course: PH 265
• Professor: Nancy Chin

Document Summary

Studies have demonstrated that mental health and psychosocial support responses in emergency settings are often poorly coordinated, not evidence-based, and not implemented within formal national frameworks. May 2014: the first case of ebola was declared in sierra leone. A total of 8700 people were infected and 3600 died. Sierra leone was recorded ebola-free in november 2015 with 5100 recorded survivors and 3400 orphaned children. Mortality among health care workers was 69% and they were 20-30 times more likely than the general population to contract ebola. Mental health service provision in sierra leone is poor. There is only one specialist psychiatric hospital in the country to serve the population of 7 million. This hospital was closed during the outbreak to prevent disease transmission. As part of the emergency response, existing government plans to create new decentralized mental health units across the country were brought forward as part of the emergency response.