Promoting Wellbeing: State Department for Transport Workshop Tackles Mental Health and Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS and Non-Communicable Diseases

The State Department for Transport, through its Aids Control Unit, this morning commenced a three-day sensitisation workshop for members, on Preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS, Non-Communicable Diseases and promoting mental health in the workplace.

The Unit’s mandate includes prevention of HIV and AIDS and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), sensitization of staff through knowledge promotion on mental health, and prevention of mental illness which is in line with the Public Sector Workplace Policy on HIV and AIDS (2017).

The workshop will see the participants trained on various cross-cutting issues including HIV and AIDS introduction and trends; understanding prevention and emerging issues in HIV and AIDS; introduction to mental health; knowledge on promotion of mental health and mental illness; understanding Non-Communicable Diseases; mental health awareness including substance use disorders; and the relationship between HIV, NCDs, mental health and productivity.

In today’s sessions, participants were enlightened on strategies to promote mental health and foster a supportive culture at work, through: encouraging open communication, promoting a healthy work-life balance, mental health awareness training, identifying signs and symptoms of stress, stress management, and actively working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. They were also updated on new developments and trends on HIV/AIDS in the country including new intervention strategies like self-testing and behavioural change campaigns that promote abstinence and being faithful to one’s partner.

The workshop is being conducted in partnership with facilitators from the National AIDS and STI Control Program (NASCOP), who translate national HIV policy into county and sub-county level actions in Kenya.