Today in Kyiv, Pact, which implements the USAID Project “Public Health System Recovery and Resilience Activity” in Ukraine, together with the NGO “Barrier free” held a dialogue platform dedicated to the development of the system of mental health services in communities.
The event was organized within the framework of the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska to create the National Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programme.
Heads of communities, experts, medical workers, representatives of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined the discussion. Almost 50 representatives from the project focus regions gathered in Kyiv, and more than 750 people participated online. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko addressed the audience with words of support and greetings.
In her video for the partnership launch, Ambassador Brink expressed her pride that the U.S. government is directly supporting the First Lady’s mental health initiative to ensure that all Ukrainian citizens receive the care they need. “Everyone should have access to care: whether they are defenders returning from the frontlines, survivors of war-related violence and trauma, or others in need of assistance.”
Participants of the dialogue platform shared successful cases and experiences in the field of mental health, which can be implemented in other communities in the future.
The project “Public Health System Recovery and Resilience (PHS R&R) Activity” is funded by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by Pact in partnership with Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Overseas Strategic Consulting, Ltd. (OSC), and the European Institute of Public Health Policy (EIPHP) and with the participation of the Temple University School of Public Health-led group including Drexel University School of Public Health and Health Federation of Philadelphia (Temple/Drexel/HFP), and the Ukrainian Coalition for Vaccination.
