VI Department of Health to Launch Video Series for Mental Health Awareness Month

The VI Department of Health will launch its first online series “Mindfulness Mondays” in observance of Mental Health Awareness Month and as part of its ongoing effort to change the way Virgin Islanders communicate about mental wellness.

“There is a stigma attached to mental illness and this often prevents individuals suffering with this disease from seeking the quality care they need,” VI Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion. “Our goal is to remove the stigma and to change the narrative of how we, as a territory, relate to mental illness. Recovery is possible and there is help for those who need it.”

The Department invites the community to tune in at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 8, for Episode 1 of "Mindfulness Mondays." The conversation will focus on the signs and symptoms of suicide, and the Virgin Islands Department of Health's role in supporting individuals in emotional pain.

The series is being hosted by Dr. Shatel Noel, Director of the VI Department of Health’s Division of Behavioral Health, and Zulima Webster, a licensed marriage and family therapist who serves as Behavioral Health’s State Prevention Coordinator. They lead the conversation with VI Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion.

“Our first episode will focus on suicide prevention and aftercare for the family. After spending the last seven months within our public and private schools, we wanted to discuss topics that matter not only to the student body, but to the general public,” Dr. Noel said. “We will be discussing ways we can open the lines of communication within our territory.”

The VI Health Department’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Month, May, is “Changing the Narrative.”