SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

My name is Natacha Pierre-Lynch, and I’m certified as an Adult Health Nurse Practitioner and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. There is an estimated 1 million Haitians living in the United States, accounting for the third largest immigrant group and the fifth source of Black migration to the country. As an educator, I believe there is a need to facilitate access to culturally- and linguistically-competent mental health services for Haitian communities through collaborative partnerships, coordination of resources, education, research and advocacy. We must educate this population regarding mental health issues and allow them to release from the heavy burdens and to help them realize that there are meaningful factors in their current mental health conditions – and yes we can help you. The goal is to support the professional development of Haitian mental health providers through education, training, and networking. We want to influence policies on the mental health needs of the Haitian community both at the local and national levels through the development of mobile mental health units that can meet the mental health needs of the Haitian communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 30% of the world’s population suffer some form of mental health disorders, and at least two-thirds of these receive inadequate or no treatment. Mental health does matter, it is the key to our behaviors that guide our actions, thus to have a successful America we must be concerned with the mental health of everyone.