SUNY Downstate to Host Haitian Mental Health Forum Oct. 7

Experts at SUNY Downstate Medical Center will discuss the mental health of Haitians and Haitian-Americans still dealing with the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti at a forum on Sun., Oct. 7 from 1-6 p.m. 

"Disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti create new health needs but can also exacerbate unmet needs that were already present," said Dr. Jean Tropnas, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at SUNYDownstate and co-founder and past president of the Haitian-American Psychiatric Association.

"The Haitian Mental Health Forum will look at both these issues, with an emphasis on what we have learned and what remains to be done,” he continued.

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Following the earthquake, many Haitians have and remain to struggle to obtain basic necessities, including housing, food and water, factors that contribute to mental stress, the release said. At the same time, Haitian-Americans face stressors including grief, survivor guilt and concerns about families left behind, it said. 

The forum will feature interactive panel presentations and discussions focusing on these mental health issues in the Haitian-American community as well as issues faced before the earthquake and on behavioral health interventions, services and resources currently available. 

Topics will include cultural sensitivity in the delivery of care; manifestations of trauma in children; behavioral health interventions in the community; reliance on folk healers; and a review of the community outreach, educational and clinical interventions performed by SUNY Downstate staff in the Haitian-American community.

Haitian culture will also be celebrated, with entertainment provided by performing artists E-uneek and Michele Voltaire Marcelin. 

The free event is sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association’s Office of Minority and National Affairs, the Haitian American Psychiatric Association, the Brooklyn Psychiatric Society, the SUNY DownstateDepartment of Psychiatry and Rebati Santé Mentale, and will take place in the Alumni Auditorium, Health Science Education Building at 395 Lenox Rd.

For more information, contact Kristin Aulie at 703-907-8579 or email Aulie at kaulie@psych.org.