IsraAID is building mental health infrastructure in Ukrainian hospitals as part of an initiative by the Office of the First Lady
| Tuesday, September 20, 2022. For immediate release:
IsraAID, Israel’s leading non-governmental humanitarian aid organization, is working to build mental health infrastructure in Ukrainian hospitals amid ongoing fighting with Russia. IsraAID works with Barrier Free – a Ukrainian NGO that supports mental health initiatives – and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. The partnership was established with the blessing and active support of the Office of Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska.
IsraAID funds and trains psychologists, social workers and other mental health providers deployed in hospitals in Ukrainian cities. IsraAID held its first training session with Department of Health officials last week, focused on burnout prevention, mental health and self-care. The psychologists trained by the joint venture will support both patients and first responders in civilian hospitals who are working around the clock to support the Ukrainian population at this time of crisis. Together, IsraAID and partners are working to adapt the organization’s global humanitarian expertise to the needs of the Ukrainian people and build resilience.
In July, IsraAID began working within Ukraine’s borders and expanded its emergency operations to Moldova and Romania. The first psychosocial workshops in Ukraine were held this month in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, which was the scene of numerous civilian casualties in the first weeks of the war, and in Odessa. IsraAID has since set up offices in Kyiv and Odessa.
In addition to its mental health and psychological support work, IsraAID is working to expand access to safe drinking water in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, some 130 km east of Odessa, after the city’s water infrastructure suffered widespread damage during the fighting. IsraAID has also partnered with the Ukrainian-Israeli NGO Frida to set up and operate mobile medical clinics in Kyiv and the surrounding area.
IsraAID launched its response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis on February 26, two days after the Russian invasion, dispatching an emergency response team to Moldova to provide urgent assistance to the thousands of Ukrainian refugees entering the country. The IsraAID team was one of the first international groups to reach the Palanca border crossing in southern Moldova, some 50 km from Odessa. In Moldova, IsraAID has worked on protection, education and medical support for refugees both at the border and in formal and informal shelters across the country.
In Romania, IsraAID operates the Tulcea Humanitarian Logistics Center – the only humanitarian center with a verified supply chain directly to southern Ukraine. Along with international partners, IsraAID has delivered over $35 million worth of vital assistance to communities in dire need, including food, medical supplies, bedding, clothing, diapers and more. IsraAID’s new work in Ukraine builds on the relationships and trust built with communities across the country through the work of the Tulcea Humanitarian Logistics Hub.
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Additional information is available upon request, including interviews with IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer and others involved in this operation.
CONTACT:
Shachar May
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