Starting this week, we are launching a large survey, alongside in-person visits to regions and online events in Colombia. Our goal is to generate high-quality evidence that can inform policy decisions and the design of digital mental health strategies (4/4).

This is possible thanks to the critical support of the Swiss National Science Foundation (3/4).

At Unisanté and the University of Lausanne, we have partnered with the Colombian Government and the Fundación Santa Fe to conduct a large study to identify the potential of digital mental health technologies in helping vulnerable students improve their mental health (2/4).

If these topics interest you, we invite you to follow the LCHE Health Economics seminar series, which are free and open to all. Don’t miss the opportunity to join these important discussions!

She highlighted the vital yet largely unpaid and unrecognized role of family caregivers in Switzerland’s long-term care system—an issue that affects health systems globally. Addressing this challenge requires innovative approaches from health economics and public health sciences.

Her talk on the Economics of Disability, Long-term Care Challenges, and the Role of Family Caregivers in Switzerland was both insightful and thought-provoking.

These initiatives share common goals: providing legal stability and facilitating access to essential services. However, their implementation occurs under vastly different conditions.

Despite vastly different contexts, both Colombia and Switzerland have enacted policies to regularize the status of large migrant populations.

In response to the influx of Venezuelan migrants, Colombia has implemented the Temporary Protection Permit (PPT), introduced in 2021. In 2022, Switzerland introduced the ‘S’ permit for Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia.

Switzerland, a key destination for forced migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Ukraine, has adopted unique policies to address large-scale displacement, especially for Ukrainians.

Colombia is currently the leading host country for Venezuelan migrants. As of early 2024, over 2.85 million Venezuelans reside in Colombia.

Along with my colleague at the University of Lausanne, Prof Patrick Bodenmann, we are analyzing how Colombia and Switzerland, two vastly different countries that have recently experienced a significant influx of migrants, have implemented innovative responses to address the challenges of migration.

These are multiple challenges on mental health for migrants and refugees, often linked to trauma, migration stress, and the precarious legal and social environments in which they find themselves.

#migration #refugees #who #paho #mentalhealth

According to WHO, one in eight people worldwide is a migrant or forcibly displaced. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that over 117 million individuals were displaced in 2023.