BRIEF HISTORY
The Health Education and Drug Abuse Prevention (HEDAP) unit came into been due to the need to address the increasing demand for rehabilitation of persons with substance misuse and the limited available space per time coupled with the inability of some patients with substance use disorders to afford the extended stay in the hospital is rehabilitation facility.
Therefore, realising the crucial roles Health Education plays in preventive health care and health promotion in general, the Provost and Medical Director, Dr Paul Agboola, created the unit of Health Education and Drug Abuse Prevention (HEDAP) for the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Aro, Abeokuta, in July, 2021.
OBJECTIVES
To promote mental health,
To prevent drug abuse and
To provide brief therapy for mild to moderate drug abuse.
FUNCTIONS
The unit performs the following functions:
Advocacy
Its facilitates synergistic/collaborative efforts with relevant stakeholders to create community/public awareness in schools, colleges, and various higher institutions of learning about the burden of mental health problems in Nigerian and help to mobilie action toward improving the care and treatment of those living with mental illness.
Collaboration
It collaborates with agencies such as NDLEA, NYSC, FRSC, NCS, etc., in promoting health education sensitisation programme through seminars/workshops in combatting the challenges of mental health issues, e.g., the rising cases of suicide as well as drug use among Nigerian populace.
Iii Training:
The department organises annual seminars/workshops for the hospital staff on current global best practices in health education/communication related to psychiatry and mental health care and relevant public health matters as the need arises.
The department coordinates all external staff seminal/workshops to ensure step-down training for other hospital staff who are beneficiaries of such management gestures.
It facilitates/promotes short-term clinical exchange programmes for the hospital clinical staff with local and international health facilities as a means of encouraging/promoting clinical knowledge transfer and clinical skills acquisition.
It handles all health education training for all categories of students on clinical postings to Neuropsychiatric Hospital Aro, Abeokuta.
It facilitates on-demand, health education training for health professionals and school counsellors to ensure early detection and prevention of mental illness in their practice domain.
It formulates clinical health education and early detection/prevention policies in collaborations with relevant stakeholders as the need arises.
The Health Education Department is involved in the training and fieldwork/educational experience of different visiting students, individuals and groups.
It conducts auditing and re-evaluation of health education services rendered by staff and making recommendations as appropriate. This includes the audit of health education on radio, television, and community health education.
It participates in the orientation/induction programmes for newly employed and promoted staff.
Research
The Health Education Department assists the Hospital Management to promote health education-related research activities.
D. DIVISIONS
The following are the divisions of Health Education and Drug Abuse (HEDAP) unit.
Public Health Education Services Unit
ii Community Outreach Services Unit
iii School Health Services Unit
iv Drug Abuse Prevention & Counselling Unit
v Manpower Development Unit