In March, MSF started to assist with the COVID-19 response in the town of La Gomera, in Escuintla department. After assessing the needs, we scaled up health promotion and mental health support to the Escuintla Ministry of Health, which only had three psychologists for the whole department.

We set up a mental health helpline to provide psychological support for health workers. These mental health activities were among the very few in the country aimed at reducing the effects of stress and anxiety produced by COVID-19.

We also assisted the local Ministry of Health with logistics for respiratory triage in La Gomera general healthcare clinic. This enabled the clinic to detect cases of COVID-19 among the local community and ensure patients received adequate medical care. In addition, we enlisted the help of people in the community to distribute health promotion materials with information about the virus and how to prevent its spread, as well as advice on protecting mental health, across the whole department.