Psychologists Recommend Including Psychological Services in Primary Care Centers

Santo Domingo, April 16, 2019 – The Dominican College of Psychologists recommended this past Sunday the need and urgency to include psychological services in the National Strategy for Primary Care. The College announced that it will put together a series of recommendations and consultations that will facilitate these services to the population that needs mental health care.

The recommendations were made by the Association’s new president, Jairo Mercedes who said, during his swearing-in ceremony as the new Association director, that the it is crucial to “create and introduce protocols for other health areas as well” in the Primary Care Centers.

This is one of the main reasons why the Association’s new Board of Director hopes to introduce a new and broad action plan that will include visits to the National Congress to discuss the modification of Law 22-01, which originally created the College of Psychologists.

Aside from Director Jairo Mercedes, the new members of the College’s National Council are Amaury Ramírez, secretary general; Nicanor Rodríguez, secretary of Ethics and Discipline; José Miguel Beltré, secretary of Organization; Clara Benedicto, secretary of Information and Publications; Ramona Peguero, secretary of Finance; Magdalena Mosque, Coordinator of the Northeast Region; Alba Iris Contreras, Coordinator of the Northwest Region; Santa Luna, Coordinator of the Southern Region. All were sworn in for a one-year period.

The members of the National Council for this period are Nicanor Rodríguez, Celinés Madera, Yanis M. Mejía, Henry Almonte, Carlos Suero and Alba Iris Contreras.

Both the outgoing and incoming directors expressed their commitment to unify criteria to develop a national plan to regulate the profession.