The Cordillera Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (CRHRDC), through its Research Utilization Committee (RUC), conducted its Cordillera Mental Health Conference with the theme, “Meeting of Minds for a Better Mental Health Care Service”, held on December 6 and 7, 2018 at the Citylight Hotel, General Luna Road, Baguio City.

The objectives of this two-day conference are the following: (1) to present laws, policies and mandates related to mental health; (2) share existing mental health care services, programs, and research findings; (3) explore the strengths and identify the areas for improvement in the current mental health care service in the region; and eventually, (4) to discuss strategies that may help address the gaps related to mental health care of the population. The participants were from the Government Line Agencies, Academic Institutions, Service Providers, Non-Government Agencies, and Private Institutions in the region.

It was evident during the presentations that there are existing mental health and mental health-related programs and activities that are being provided by the various agencies in the region. However, there is a greater need for a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral collaboration among these agencies to identify the gaps in the delivery of mental health care service and to further strengthen the current programs related to mental health.