Roundtable: Prioritizing Mental Health in the Workplace - strategies for success

Roundtable: Prioritizing Mental Health in the Workplace - strategies for success
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Join us on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. (Washington DC, or EDT) for the roundtable "Prioritizing Mental Health in the Workplace - Strategies for Success." The roundtable will address strategies to prevent psychosocial risks, protect mental health at work, and support people with mental health conditions; discuss good practices to create mentally healthy environments; and discuss government policies and initiatives to implement WHO guidelines on mental health at work.

Objectives

  1. Raise awareness about mental health in the workplace and effective strategies.
  2. Encourage organizations to protect and promote mental health in the workplace.
  3. Foster a more supportive and healthy work environment, contributing to improved well-being and productivity.

 


How to participate


Background

World Mental Health Day, celebrated annually on October 10, serves as a global platform to improve understanding, raise awareness and facilitate action on mental health issues around the world. This initiative emphasizes the fundamental principle that mental health is a universal human right, deserving protection and promotion for all people.

The 2024 theme, “Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace,” aligns with the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) ongoing commitment to foster well-being in work environments across the Americas. This is timely because safe and healthy work environments are not only a fundamental right, but are also more likely to reduce tension and conflict at work and improve staff retention, job performance and productivity. Mental health and work are therefore integrally intertwined.

This year's World Mental Health Day serves as a call to action for individuals, organizations, and governments across the Americas to prioritize mental health in the workplace. It presents an opportunity to implement evidence-based strategies, foster supportive work environments, and ensure that mental health is recognized as an essential component of occupational health and safety. 


Agenda

Moderator: 
Claudina Cayetano, Regional Mental Advisor, PAHO

Speakers:

  1. Carmen Martinez, Regional Mental Health Advisor, PAHO
  2. Maria Mendez, President of Vacation is a Human Right (VIAHR)
  3. Fernando Tomasina, Occupational Health, Universidad de la República, Uruguay

Welcome, and opening remarks:

Renato Oliveira e Souza, Chief of Mental Health and Substance Use Unit, PAHO

Topics to be covered:

  • Strategies to prevent psychosocial risks, protect mental health at work, and support people with mental health conditions.
  • Best practices for creating mentally healthy workplaces.
  • Government policies and initiatives to implement WHO guidelines on mental health at work.

Related links


Times in other cities

  • 8:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver.
  • 9:00 a.m. -  Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San Jose (CR), San Salvador,  Tegucigalpa,
  • 10:00 a.m. – Bogota, Kingston, Lima, Panama City,  Quito
  • 11:00 a.m.  – Asunción, Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, Santiago, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Washington D.C.
  • 12: 00 a.m. -  Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo.
  • 5:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid.

For other cities, check the local time using the following link.