Residents of Soufriere recently benefited from a comprehensive Stress Awareness Pop-Up Health Fair hosted by the Community Mental Health Team, as part of activities marking Stress Awareness Month observed in April. Held under the theme “Be the Change,” the initiative aimed to move beyond simply recognizing stress to encouraging individuals to take active steps toward improving their mental well-being.
Residents had access to a range of free health screenings and information on available mental health services in Saint Lucia. Mental Health Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Merlana Gabriel of the Community Mental Health Service outlined the services provided to residents and community members. “So we have today, brief mental health assessments, we also have health education, mental health support and education. We also have blood pressure monitoring, glucose monitoring, and also providing information on the services available on the island and the necessary referral pathways.”
Gabriel emphasized that stress and mental health challenges affect everyone, and that access to care should reflect that reality. “So, we want persons to understand that mental health has to do with all of us and stress does not discriminate. And so, our access to health care shouldn’t discriminate either. Now we understand that many persons may be suffering in silence due to the lack of information, the fear, the stigma, but this pop-up today will help break that silence.”
The Stress Awareness Pop-Up health fair reflects a broader push by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition to bring services closer to communities across Saint Lucia, reducing barriers to care and fostering open conversations around mental well-being.
