THE Silapha Wellness Intervention programme aims to support artists and athletes.
For the past three years, the Silapha Wellness Intervention has been run by Indingiliz Advertising and Marketing.
Now this project is being managed by a new service provider called Workforce Healthcare. The aim of this initiative is to provide artists and athletes with access to wellness support.
This news was announced by the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture (DSAC) on Friday, 4 August.
Workforce Healthcare will provide access to a 24/7/365 call centre through which the creative and sports industries can receive information and education on issues such as mental health, substance abuse, financial well-being, legal advice and nutrition.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa said: "There is a critical help needed for those who engage in the creative and sporting fields. Many of them do not have permanent employment or healthcare support. We have lost too many valuable people within the creative and sports communities, as they simply did not have access to the support that they needed. One life lost is one too many.
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"Our artists and athletes are valuable members of our communities and are so often heroic in their ability to uplift and inspire others. At the same time, they are extremely vulnerable to life challenges due to the nature of their work. I hope that our creative and sporting community will make full use of this service and those who face challenges receive the support and guidance they need to thrive."
Kodwa believes this new intervention will be life-saving for the artists and athletes.
Workforce Healthcare spokeswoman and executive director: Wellness, Nevania Naidoo said that the programme is already active with counselling services.
Naidoo said that over the next two months, they will be launching social media communities that will offer informative articles, videos and live events, as well as self-assessment courses and tools.
"There is a significant need for support around mental wellbeing, substance abuse, preventable illness, financial and legal advice to name few issues our artists and athletes need support with," Naidoo said.
