The 17th mental health center of the RETURNING network has started operating on the basis of a medical institution of the National Guard of Ukraine

Victor and Olena Pinchuk continue to expand the all-Ukrainian network of mental health centers RETURNING (ukr. ПОВЕРНЕННЯ). The new RETURNING center, created jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine on the basis of one of the departmental medical institutions, became the 17th in the network.

The RETURNING mental health center will provide professional psychiatric and psychological assistance to military personnel who have suffered the psychological consequences of war. Special attention will be paid to military personnel who come to the center immediately after being released from captivity: at this stage, it is important to ensure a safe environment, professional assessment of their condition, and timely support after the traumatic experience they have endured.

Every year, almost 500 military personnel will be able to receive inpatient care here, and more than 3,000 consultations will also be provided.

The opening of the center became possible thanks to the cooperation of the RETURNING project with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine. This is another systemic contribution by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to supporting military personnel, veterans, and members of their families who need professional assistance after the experience of war they have endured.

“Cooperation with the National Guard of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs allows us to create assistance close to those who are undergoing recovery and reintegration after captivity. In this center, we sought to create world-class conditions: a barrier-free and innovatively equipped space where military personnel can receive professional assistance with respect for their experience and without stigma. We continue to develop cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs so that such opportunities become available to an even larger number of defenders and members of their families,” said Svitlana Hrytsenko, Head of the RETURNING project.

The RETURNING mental health center is a modern and inclusive space of support and recovery for military personnel who need specialized psychiatric and psychological assistance.

At the expense of the RETURNING project, a major renovation of the premises was carried out and a modern mental health center was equipped. It includes rooms for individual, group, art, and biosuggestive therapy, a reception, a 24-hour duty nurse post, a waiting area for visitors, wards with inclusive sanitary facilities, and functional premises for staff.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Inna Yashchuk emphasized that the creation of such a center became possible thanks to effective cooperation between the state and socially responsible business.

“The specialists of the mental health center work with everyone who is undergoing rehabilitation, and this is of enormous value. The Ministry of Internal Affairs pays significant attention to comprehensive support for our defenders — all those who, within the structures of the ministry, protect the state every day and ensure peace and security.”

A multidisciplinary team works here with defenders and their families, consisting of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, nurses, and junior nurses. The specialists work, in particular, with the consequences of stress, anxiety and depressive conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder, adaptive and psychosomatic difficulties, as well as psychotic conditions.

The center is equipped with the necessary equipment for the work of specialists and the recovery of visitors, including the Shiftwave System for psychological relief and stress management, a set for EMDR therapy, materials for art therapy, psychological tools, computer and multimedia equipment, as well as professional literature for specialists.

“Military personnel, in particular those who have returned from captivity, often need not a one-time consultation, but long-term and comprehensive recovery. It is impossible to fully overcome the consequences of severe traumatic experience in two or three weeks — this is a process that requires time, trust, and properly selected methods of assistance. That is why we combine psychiatric care, psychological support, and modern instrumental methods that help to more accurately assess a person’s condition and strengthen the effectiveness of treatment. Our task is to find an approach to each person and create the most effective path of recovery for them,” said Ihor Slobodian, Head of the RETURNING center.

As of today, 17 centers of the RETURNING network, founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk, are already operating in Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv and Kyiv region, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, as well as on the basis of one of the medical institutions of the National Guard of Ukraine. The centers of the network provide assistance to more than 25,000 military personnel, veterans, and members of their families.

At the first stage of the RETURNING project, the opening of at least 25 such centers throughout Ukraine is planned, which will be able to provide assistance every year to more than 100,000 military personnel, veterans, and members of their families.

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