First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the working meeting “How Are You?: Insights and Lessons Learned” focused on the implementation of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program at the community level.
The event brought together representatives of the relevant ministries and regional coordination teams, including deputy heads of regional military administrations, regional coordinators, and community consultants.
“It has been six months since we last met – challenging months for everyone, just as they have been for the entire country. But I am certain they were still warmed by the thought that we are doing something important – upholding the resilience of the whole nation,” Olena Zelenska noted.
During this time, “How are you?” consultants in the communities focused on establishing local mental health ecosystems, including mental health service guides (routes), which contain information about all those who provide such services at the community level.
“Communities have gone through a process of laying the groundwork and building networks, which included mapping of services, creating a registry of providers, conducting user surveys, promoting mental health awareness, activating civil support coordination centers as interagency platforms, and establishing a registry of trainers,” stressed Oksana Zbitneva, Head of the Coordination Center for Mental Health at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The working meeting particularly focused on discussing the findings, challenges, and solutions identified by regional “How are you?” teams.
One of the common issues in small communities is that people do not seek help because they are concerned about remaining anonymous. To address this issue, service providers from other communities were added to the local guide, along with hotline numbers.
For example, in one of the communities, the solution was to open a separate entrance so that everyone could access the psychologist's office privately.
“It was important for me to hear about each of the challenges, and especially the answers to them. ‘How are you?’ is not about ‘forcing everyone to see a psychologist,’ the real goal is to create an opportunity for support for everyone: accessible, free, nearby, convenient, and clear,” the First Lady concluded.
For reference. The All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, initiated by Olena Zelenska, is being implemented with expert support from the World Health Organization.