Renovation of the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health
About the center
The Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health (KRCMH) is a specialized institution providing inpatient and outpatient care for patients with mental health disorders.
The center is located in the picturesque town of Vorzel in the Bucha community. The area has a healing climate and has been considered a resort for the treatment of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases for over 100 years.
Founded in 1978, over the 45 years of its work, more than 150,000 patients from the Kyiv region have received help there. Today KRCMH consists of 7 psychiatric departments with a capacity of 310 patients.
The hospital is listed as the main medical institution for providing psychiatric care to combatants, demobilized soldiers who have been wounded, contused, suffered traumatic brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Today, the Mental Health Center is an established and developing specialized medical institution. Despite the complicated situation, the -strives to provide full psychiatric, psychological and rehabilitation assistance in the face of the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine.
Consequences of the russian terrorist attack
The center, like most of the Bucha community, has been subjected to air strikes, rocket attacks, and then a month-long occupation since February 24, 2022.
On February 25, 62 patients (50 adults and 12 children) were urgently evacuated along with their staff to the Borodyanka Psychoneurological Institution. Later, the patients were evacuated to the Zhytomyr Regional Psychiatric Hospital, where they stayed until the end of the occupation.
The territory of the Center was seized by the military of the russian federation. The premises of the institution were destroyed, doors were knocked out and broken, furniture was damaged, computer equipment, expensive medical equipment and all medicines were stolen and destroyed. The blast waves smashed all the windows and mined the territory of the institution.
Almost immediately after the liberation of Vorzel and the surrounding areas, in early April 2022, demining work began. After that, the workers were able to enter the territory and see the terrible consequences of the presence of russian troops.
The local authorities, volunteers, employees and patients of the Center, their relatives and other concerned people joined the restoration of the KRCMH.
On May 10, 2022, the Center resumed outpatient reception of patients - people from the de-occupied territories need psychiatric care and psychological support. The first patients were admitted for inpatient treatment on May 16.
The concept of the renovation
On July 1, 2022, according to the order of the Ministry of Veterans of 26.06.2022 No. 104, the Kyiv Regional Mental Health Center was included in the register of health care institutions providing psychological rehabilitation services to affected participants of the Revolution of Dignity, participants of the anti-terrorist operation, persons who carried out measures to ensure national security and defense, repulse and deter the armed aggression of the russian federation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, their family members, and family members of the deceased (dead) of such persons. Over six months, more than 300 combatants have undergone medical and psychological rehabilitation at the Mental Health Center.
Key areas of development of the KRCMH
On March 17, a Memorandum of Cooperation on the development of the KRCMH was signed with the Ukraine`s Renovation League ONOVA.
The idea of the institution's development is to open a Rehabilitation Center on its basis, which will provide rehabilitation services for military personnel and civilians affected by russian aggression.
Currently, there is no such centralized facility for rehabilitation of military personnel and civilians in Kyiv region. The Center has a 3,000-square-meter facility where such work can be organized. This requires final material restoration, including the purchase of destroyed and stolen equipment, renovation of furniture in inpatient wards, and additional technical capabilities for rehabilitation worth about UAH 200 million.
In the fall of 2022, the first stage of repair work was carried out at the Center's premises. At present, one of the ONOVA League members, is preparing an expanded concept project for the future Rehabilitation Center, which will soon be presented to the management of the institution and the general public.
The work on the renovation of the KRCMH continues!