Clubhouse Ghana, a subsidiary of Clubhouse International, in collaboration with Rotary Clubs of Accra Industrial Area, Accra-Cantonments and Sekondi-Takoradi, has embarked on a family day outreach and fundraising visit to Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
The outreach was to enable them forge a sustainable relationship with the patients to ensure and support their smooth transition into the community, including access to appropriate services.
The recovered patients will transition into the Clubhouse-franchised Rehabilitation Centre once it is completed this year, so they have a recreational community that will welcome them daily to assist them with several services. The Clubhouse model will enable every recovered patient that becomes a member to get their basic SHS education if they need it through the Ministry of Education; and they will also be offered transitional employment to train as artisans and become independent and self-sufficient within less than a year.
The members engaged with patients to provide them with some psychological counselling, and also with the staff to get first-hand information on challenges facing the hospital. The teams also donated large quantities of assorted non-perishable food items, drinks and cleaning products in support of the patients’ upkeep.
The visit took place last Saturday 2nd April 2022, and management of Clubhouse Ghana and several Rotarians were hosted well by on-site medics at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
Supporting mentally-ill persons
The Country Director of Clubhouse Ghana, Richard Selase Agboga – who is privy to the Clubhouse Finland model as he trained in that country for his PhD, spoke on behalf of Chairman of the Board and Founder of the organisation, ML Brookshire in Houston, by commending the entire hospital management for their sacrifices and support of individuals living with mental health disorders. He assured them of Clubhouse Ghana and Rotary Club’s unwavering support, most especially in facilitating the rehabilitation of all recovered patients this year.
He also urged Ghanaians and society in general not to neglect issues of mental health, while encouraging those who were faced with such challenges to seek professional assistance as soon as possible.
Karol Kunko, representing Rotary Club with fellow Rotarian Sandra Appertey of Max TV and MoneyHub fame, also spoke about the pillars of Rotary and how Clubhouse Ghana has been able to align with the international organisation in the areas of environmental preservation, provision of basic education, economic/community development, and elimination of diseases – which are all pillars that Rotary embodies out of its seven tenets.
Mr. Agboga also used the opportunity to appeal to well-meaning Ghanaians, both home and abroad as well as the international community, to support activities of the organisation in whichever way they can to enable it take care of mentally-ill people in society.
Dr. Ramata Seidu, who received the items on behalf of the hospital, expressed his gratitude to the Rotarians as well as Clubhouse Ghana for their kind gesture. He went on to urge other institutions to emulate “this worthy example”, so as to ensure the facility is able to continually serve its mandate.
