Every day, frontliners from the ambulance crew and quick response team of the Lapu-Lapu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Office fetch and bring suspect, probable, or confirmed Covid-19 patients from homes to health facilities. 

Who are caring for them?

The Wellbeing Cluster PH of the Central Visayas regional DRRM hub is providing an avenue for online mental health and psychosocial support, knowing that their work is 24/7 and separates them from their families. 

To date, registered guidance counselor and psychometrician Kirk Patrick Castro has conducted four online sessions on support, treatment, and intervention with them. He facilitates the sessions to allow the frontliners to narrate their experiences, to express and process their thoughts and feelings about the current situation. Mr. Castro volunteered to provide these critical incident stress debriefing with them. 

“We are grateful to have debriefing sessions with Sir Kirk and the Wellbeing Cluster PH. It is giving us the opportunity to recognize and vent out our feelings, as well as to say something to our loved ones and teammates,” said the ambulance crew.

Their morale is lifted! 

Similar online sessions are happening now to support barangay officials of Mandaue City and the wider resilient network of communities of Cordaid International. 

Partner organizations above are the regional DRRM hub, CENVISNET, Gestalt Wellness Institute – Southeast Asia, and Department of Health.

By: Lenbi Laborte, Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET)