Mental health beyond facilities (mhBEF)

Mental health beyond facilities (mhBEF) was a project funded by Grand Challenges Canada and led by Makerere University School of Public Health from 1 October 2012 to 31 December 2015. mhBeF developed an evidence-based Comprehensive Community-based Mental Health Services (CCMHS) package, in accordance with the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), for people with severe mental disorders (PWSMD) and epilepsy in three post-conflict countries: Uganda, Liberia, and Nepal.

mhBeF provided community-based services that:

1. Reduced the treatment gap between need and interventions
2. Promoted individual and family livelihood, and
3. Reduced stigma, with the ultimate goal of improving functioning and productivity of PWSMD and their families.

These formed the three components of the CCMHS package. This package was built upon expanding efforts in each country to integrate mental health care within primary health care using mhGAP guidelines with a special emphasis on strengthening community mental health services. The developed intervention package underwent rigorous evaluation in the countries to demonstrate effectiveness. The project had a focus on capacity building in health services and research with a cross-national design to promote exchange and innovation through south-south collaboration among the three countries. mhBeF developed a model that has potential for broad application, taking into account the diverse cultural, economic and resource needs of low and middle income countries (LAMIC). This project was implemented with partnership of Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) in the Pyuthan district of Nepal from 2012- 2015.