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October is Behavioral Health Month
Gov. Eloy S. Inos inked a proclamation yesterday afternoon declaring October as Behavioral Health Month.
Joining Inos in signing the proclamation were Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Cov-Saipan), Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muña, CHCC Community Guidance Center director Reyna Saures and staff, along with other stakeholders.
Community Guidance Center staff read the proclamation, saying that behavioral health is an essential part of health and everyone’s wellness.
“The benefits of preventing and overcoming mental and substance use disorders are significant and valuable to individuals, families and the CNMI community,” the proclamation states.
Herbert Sablan, substance abuse treatment supervisor at the Community Guidance Center, said it is critical that people of the CNMI be encouraged to create preventative measures in recognizing the signs of the problem and guide people in need of services.
The proclamation states that the 2011 CNMI Behavioral Health Survey shows that adult use of alcohol is currently at 41 percent while the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports that 33.8 percent had at least one drink—a decrease from 41.4 percent in 2011 as provided by the Public School System.
“It is great that it went down, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the staff and CHC in promoting awareness on substance abuse,” Saures said.
Inos said that protecting the people of the CNMI from substance abuse is important.
“Continuing awareness and education of the dangers of substance abuse is good and I encourage the public to be aware of the abuse and its damage to health,” Inos said.
