Caring Is Good Extension Marks Action at the Center for Suicide Study and Prevention

Understanding, supporting, and welcoming: this is how the Center for Suicide Study and Prevention (NEPS) receives patients who have attempted suicide. The unit has been in existence since 2007 and is part of the Bahia Toxicology Information and Assistance Center (CIATox-BA), which has operated for 45 years at Roberto Santos Hospital. Since 2019, NEPS has been supported by Bahiana, through the Caring Is Good Extension program, with the participation of Nursing students who carry out their internship at the Occupational Therapy Service Information Office at the Center.

According to Cíntia Mesquita, Nursing professor at Bahiana and a nurse at Cuidar Faz Bem and NEPS, the students' work takes place during information workshops, where they discuss various topics related to mental health, self-care, and suicide prevention. The workshops result in the Galera Vida NEPS Newspaper, the 15th edition of which was released last Tuesday (August 26th) during the group meeting. The periodical is produced collectively, with contributions from patients, healthcare professionals, and Cuidar Faz Bem students.

After two years participating in the Cuidar Faz Bem program at NEPS, Nara Gemima, an 8th-semester nursing student, decided to write her final project on the program. According to her, the experience is empowering her as a healthcare professional who cares for patients experiencing mental health distress. "I consider my training through this extension program to be unique. Not many universities offer this type of experience, allowing us to step outside our comfort zone, so to speak, which is more of a hospital and clinical setting, and immerse ourselves in other perspectives of practice." Simone Cidade, a 4th-semester nursing student who was on her first day of extension activities, chose Cuidar Faz Bem because it addresses mental health. "It's a relevant topic. My curiosity as a nurse in this area is immense. I imagine it will be a tremendous learning experience that I will take both to the theoretical field of college and to my life as a future nurse."