IsraAID integrates psychological support into Ukrainian health system
IsraAID, Israel’s leading humanitarian aid agency, launched the third phase of its “Psychologist Doctor Patient” program, training psychologists to support medical facilities across Ukraine. Amid a rise in deadly attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Tuesday’s attack on a military academy and hospital that killed 50 people, staff and patients at overburdened medical facilities are in urgent need of emotional support. Following the success of the first two phases of the program, which equipped over 163 psychologists with specialized training to work in medical facilities and stationed them in hospitals across the country, the third phase will finalize a universal model that can be adopted state-wide.
The program is being implemented in cooperation with regional Healthcare Departments and under the umbrella of the Coordination Center on Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The program is part of First Lady Olena Zelenska’s mental health program “How Are You?”, as part of her wartime focus on the mental health of Ukrainians.
As the war with Russia continues to increase mental health needs across Ukraine, psychological support in health facilities remains sporadic. IsraAID is working to develop clear, universal guidelines that will help place psychologists in hospitals and make sure that doctors and patients have access to mental health services. The project equips psychologists with specialized expertise, stations them in hospitals and medical facilities, and uses their feedback and experience to refine a model that can be replicated across the country.
IsraAID first launched the” Psychologist Doctor Patient” program in September of 2022. In phase one, 60 psychologists were trained, certified, and placed in 10 hospitals across three regions. By the end of phase two, which ran from November 2023 through June 2024, a total of 163 psychologists received training and were stationed in hospitals across four regions: Kyivska, Odeska, Dnipropetrovska, and Mykolayvska. Psychologists from three additional regions that have been particularly hard-hit by fighting also participated in trainings: Kharkivska, Khersonska, and Zaporizka.
At present, 73 IsraAID-trained psychologists have been stationed in 25 health facilities and provided psychological support to nearly 3,200 people. The third phase, which launched in August, will train more psychologists, station them at healthcare facilities of at least 7 regions, finalize the model, and promote its adoption across the country.
IsraAID has been working to support Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war since the first days after the Russian invasion. IsraAID Ukraine works to support urgent and long-term needs for Ukrainians affected by the war. This includes providing access to safe drinking water, child-friendly spaces that provide educational and emotional support to displaced children, raising awareness on critical healthcare issues through their School of Health program, distributing generators and winter gear to hard-hit settlements near the frontlines, supporting educational professionals and much more.
Yulia Breus, Protection Program Manager, IsraAID Ukraine, said:
“Devastating attacks over the last three days that took lives of over 60 people and injured over 300 are just one more reminder of the urgency of mental health needs in already overburdened Ukrainian hospitals. Doctors and patients are faced with the harshest realities of this war, and they require both an urgent and long-term approach.
We’re working to improve entire systems, which is the only way to build a truly sustainable future. This set of tools can improve psychological care across the country, at medical facilities of all different levels and types. We’re proud of all that we’ve achieved in the first two phases of this project, and we’re excited to use everything we’ve learned to create long-lasting, systemic change. We remain committed to Ukrainian communities, both now and on the long road to recovery.”
Lesya Karnaukh, Deputy Head of Kyiv Oblast State Administration, said:
“The first person who people go to is a family doctor – they are the front line for psychological support. We had COVID, then we had war. Ukrainians had barely adjusted to COVID reality when the war struck, and we had to deal with psychosocial support for doctors and patients. It was then when a demand for emergency response shaped. We are grateful to IsraAID that they started their training then – when it was so needed.”
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Further information is available on request, including interviews with IsraAID Ukraine Country Director Alena Druzhynina, IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer, and other individuals involved in this operation.
PHOTOS:
Photos of the “Psychologist. Doctor. Patient” program can be found here. All photos should be credited to IsraAID/Kateryna Lashchykova
CONTACT:
Shachar May
Email: [email protected]
Notes:
IsraAID is a leading international humanitarian non-governmental organization, based in Israel. Since 2001, IsraAID has become synonymous with a rapid response to humanitarian crises and a long-term commitment to working with affected communities. During and after emergencies, IsraAID partners with communities to re-build their lives – and their futures – together. As of September 2024, IsraAID has responded to more than 100 emergencies, in more than 65 countries.
