Partnership for Improvement and Prevention in NCDs (PIP-NCD)

Our objective

To improve access to and the quality of mental health and non-communicable disease prevention services in the rural areas of Chamkar Leu and Ou Reang Ov, by strengthening the skills of health personnel, community participation and reducing stigma, with a particular focus on gender and age differences.

Our actions

Strengthening mental health services

• Training, coaching and supervision of medical and non-medical staff on diagnosis, treatment, counselling, palliative care, pain management and patient care
• Implementation of the Collaborative Care Model (CCM) in collaboration with the University of Washington. This model is an integrated approach in which primary care professionals (general practitioners) and mental health professionals (case managers, psychiatrists) work together to treat mild to moderate mental health problems in patients, sharing expertise and coordinating care around the patient's life plan, with the patient themselves as an active partner in decision-making. This involves screening, monitoring, coordinating care, supporting Patient Care Facilitators, and holding Quality Improvement Team meetings.
• Development and dissemination of clinical protocols and monitoring tools for mental health and non-communicable disease services.
• Documentation of knowledge acquired in this project.

Community work and prevention

• Training village volunteers and social workers in psychological first aid, referral, family support and emotional support.
• Creation and support of Self-Help Groups. These groups play a crucial role in providing peer support, reducing stigma and isolation, promoting empowerment and self-management, and supplementing limited access to mental health professionals through tailored, community-based approaches to improve psychosocial well-being and combat domestic violence, nutritional problems, alcohol consumption, etc.) and groups for parents of children with disabilities.
• Community awareness and destigmatisation campaigns on mental health and NCD prevention.
• Awareness-raising activities to identify and refer people with neurological or psychological disorders.

Health technologies and innovations

• Deployment of telemental health and a patient monitoring system.
• Development of a digital platform for information sharing between partners.

Our impact

This project is building a more inclusive local health system capable of providing high-quality mental health services and non-communicable disease prevention measures tailored to patients' needs, where patients are true partners in their own physical and mental health. It improves access to care, reduces stigma, strengthens coordination between stakeholders, and provides better support for vulnerable people in 112 villages, directly affecting several thousand beneficiaries and nearly 100,000 people indirectly.