Welcome to Episode 8 of Lyfe Boost! Follow & Subscribe to my content! Thanks for your support!

Today I am speaking with Dr. Vincent Agyapong about his success in creating two free text messaging services that have been launched to support the mental health of Alberta’s first responders. He is creating change and saving those in the world around him. He is the creator of the TEXT4HOPE Program and has designed these services to help first responders get the help they need!

Dr. Vincent Agypong is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University; Chief of Psychiatry for Nova Scotia Health Central Zone. He was previously a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta and Edmonton Zone Clinical Section Chief for Community Mental Health with Alberta Health Services.

He was the Inaugural Director of the Division of Community Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta and also served as the Alberta Health Services Edmonton Zone Clinical Section Chief for Community Mental Health for five years prior to taking up his current appointment. He served as one of two Specialist Members on the Health Technology Expert Review Panel on Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and has also previously served as Mental Health Expert on Disaster Medicine with the Canadian Institute for Health Research Communications and Media Relations Department.

He has over 120 publications in international peer-review journals and has made over 65 presentations at national and international conferences in 18 countries across 5 continents. His research focuses primarily on health innovations that expand access to quality mental health care and he has had over 80,000 subscribers to his various supportive text message interventions, including his Text4Hope program, launched in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had over 30,000 subscribers in just one week.

He has been involved in extensive mental health advocacy in Ghana over the last decade and played a strategic role in the advocacy that led to the passage of Ghana's mental health law in 2012. Between 2010 and 2012, he was the country lead in Ireland of a 5 country multi-Centre project funded by the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Program of the European Commission that explored innovative ways to reduce racism and discrimination against migrant women living in Europe.

Dr. Agyapong has won numerous awards related to his work, including; Being honoured by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as one of six Extraordinary Fellows of the College and in July 2019, he was named a finalist by the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation for the ASTech 2019 Outstanding Health Innovation Award.

It was incredible insight, education and knowledge about ways people can improve on their overall mental health and use this service for their benefit. Pleasure being able to speak with Dr. Vincent Agypong that has a passion and drive in saving people's lives. It is truly life-changing what he is doing for all Canadians.

His Bio and information have been referred to the links below.

DR.VINCENT PROFILE IS BELOW:

https://www.ualberta.ca/psychiatry/news-and-events/news/2021/07-july/dr.-vincent-agyapong-embraces-new-challenge-as-chair-of-the-department-of-psychiatry-at-dalhousie-university.html

https://www.mhinnovation.net/profile/dr-vincent-israel-opoku-agyapong

https://mentalhealthfoundation.ca/text4hope/

NEWS LINKS

https://www.ualberta.ca/psychiatry/news-and-events/news/2021/07-july/text4well-being-and-text4ptsi-supporting-mental-health-and-wellness-of-first-responders-in-alberta.html

https://globalnews.ca/news/8060643/alberta-first-responders-text-support-mental-health/

To subscribe to TEXT4WELL-BEING: Text “WELLBEING” to: 1-844-990-4343

To subscribe to TEXT4PTSI: Text “PTSI” to: 1-844-990-4343



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