Mega Doctor News
McALLEN – Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez and the Hope Family Health Center welcomed today the second cohort of mental health professionals who are learning a mental wellness technique aimed at helping non-profits better serve their clients in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge Cortez and officials with the Hope Family Health Center met with 50 mental health practitioners affiliated with local non-profit organizations to initiate a skills-building opportunity among mental health professionals involving a technique known as EMDR therapy. He noted that Hispanics were particularly hard hit by the pandemic, accounting for nearly one in four of the initial job losses.
The latest training session represents a marriage of two Hidalgo County initiatives: the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force and the Mental Health Coalition. Both groups seek to assist low income residents, which make up as much as 40 percent of the population. The idea is to provide additional mental health services to those identified as suffering from recent trauma associated with the pandemic.
“We remain concerned about the mental wellness of all residents who lived through the trauma of the pandemic,” said Judge Cortez.
Cortez committed an additional $60,000 in American Rescue Funds to help HOPE Family Health Clinic to build a larger network of collaboration, guidance, and practice in trauma therapy to strengthen the skills of mental health professionals in Hidalgo County in order to address the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic for individuals.
“We received tremendous feedback from the first group of professionals who learned this technique and we are excited to offer this training to more mental health professionals,” said Roxanne Ramirez, with the Hope Family Health Center.
So far, fifty mental health specialists affiliated with area school districts have completed their EMDR therapy certification and are already serving students on local campuses. Another 50 mental health professionals affiliated with local non-profits registered to take advantage of this additional opportunity.
