First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau had a meeting in Kyiv and visited the Lisova Polyana Center for Mental Health and Rehabilitation of Veterans.
During the meeting, the President's wife thanked the Prime Minister of Canada for supporting Ukraine, in particular for temporary shelter for more than 200,000 Ukrainians and humanitarian aid: funds for the supply of more than 1,250 generators, support for the Kyiv energy system, and assistance with demining. In 2022, the Canadian government announced the allocation of 320 million Canadian dollars for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which is channelled through international organizations.
Olena Zelenska and Justin Trudeau visited the Lisova Polyana Center for Mental Health and Rehabilitation of Veterans. In 2019, for the first time in Ukraine, it began treating disorders related to combat stress and the effects of traumatic brain injuries, combining it with the best practices of physical rehabilitation. The institution has an additional specialization: psychological work with survivors of captivity and torture, work with the consequences of violence in the context of war crimes.
"To cope with the need for help, we need a powerful network of centers with specialists who know how to work with military and civilians who are mentally and physically traumatized. "Lisova Polyana is a center with deep expertise in helping veterans," the First Lady said.
"I would like to launch a project of international medical partnership between Lisova Polyana and a Canadian center specializing in working with veterans suffering from PTSD. We see the Canadian Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre in Ontario as a potential option for such cooperation, as it has strong scientific expertise in PTSD, but you can suggest another institution. Experts have prepared a detailed description of the areas of cooperation," the President's wife said, addressing the Prime Minister of Canada.
She emphasized the importance of simultaneously overcoming both the physical and mental consequences of the war for Ukrainians, which will be the key to the country's recovery. The third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which will be held this summer in Kyiv at the initiative of Olena Zelenska, is dedicated to mental health.
"I have already sent an invitation to the summit to Mrs. Grégoire Trudeau. I know that she is involved in mental health issues. This is an important topic because the war unleashed by Russia has affected the mental state of not only Ukrainians, but also people around the world," the First Lady added.