Astellas Global Health Foundation Supports Expanded Mental Health Efforts
The Astellas Global Health Foundation awarded AMPATH a $1.35 million grant over three years to provide access to mental health programming to 400,000 people in western Kenya. Expanded mental health services will be integrated into AMPATH’s existing healthcare partnership. The grant will also support a mental health awareness campaign and group transitional housing and care for patients with severe mental health disorders.
“The Astellas Global Health Foundation funding will help AMPATH to meaningfully expand our mental health programming, as we are committed to improving access to and quality of mental health care, reducing treatment gaps and empowering patients in western Kenya,” said Edith Kwobah, MBChB, MMED, consultant psychiatrist and head of mental health at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya and the Kenyan medical leader of the initiative.
“This grant will provide training for community health volunteers to screen for mental health disorders and refer members of the Kenyan community to appropriate care facilities to improve health outcomes for these patients,” added Matthew Turissini, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine.
Mental health training meeting for clinicians from primary facilities within Uasin Gishu County.
According to the World Health Organization, 75 percent of people affected by mental health disorders in low-income countries do not have access to the treatment they need. This is partially due to funding in many of these countries being prioritized to address infectious diseases and the significant stigma of mental illness. The grant from the Astellas Global Health Foundation will help AMPATH address this treatment gap in western Kenya.
“Access to mental health care is a worldwide issue with a particularly significant lack of proper diagnosis and treatment among low- and middle-income populations,” said Moyra Knight, president of the Astellas Global Health Foundation. “The important work AMPATH is doing in western Kenya improves the diagnosis and sustains treatment of mental illness for communities in critical need.”
For the Astellas Global Health Foundation, formed in November 2018, this investment is the first focused on mental health, which is one of the Foundation’s key focus areas in improving access to health in low- and middle-income countries where Astellas, a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world, does not have a business presence.
The Astellas Global Health Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation that awards grants to support charitable purposes with a focus on improving access to health in underserved global communities, building resilient communities and providing disaster support in order to make a sustainable impact on the health of people around the world, working toward “One World, A Healthier Tomorrow.”
Community health volunteers receiving training about mental health