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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2016 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 15 The Mental Health Institute at UCU: Impact and Impressions by Orysia Nazar Zinycz Olha Zarichynska, Natalia Klymovska, Orysia Nazar Zinycz, Rev. Stepan Sus, Kiki Zinycz During a recent trip to Ukraine, I revisited UCU, a special place where progress and prestige con- verge, a calming oasis in a country wracked by tur- moil and uncertainty. I reconnected with Natalia Klymovska (Vice Rector for UCU’s Development and Communication) and Olha Zarichynska (Di- rector of UCU’s Development Department) and also met Rev. Stepan Sus, Dean of the Sts. Peter & Paul Garrison Church in Lviv and Chaplain of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. During our time to- gether, we discussed many topics, among them, the ongoing war in the East and the plight of the Ukrainian soldiers who are defending their home- land. The questions were always the same: (1) how can we help the returning soldiers and others im- pacted by physical and emotional wounds? and (2) how can we help their families? My response fo- cused on the new Mental Health Institute facility, which is scheduled to open in Lviv in the fall of 2016. One overarching problem that needs to be addressed is that there is a stigma about mental health issues in Ukraine; moreover, services for traumatized and the mentally ill, if available at all, are limited in scope and effectiveness. The hope is that this new facility at UCU, which is renowned for its scholarship and spiritual leadership, will bring the mental health to the forefront of serious attention and intervention and enable distraught soldiers and their families to get the help they need. This new UNWLA project struck a per- sonal note with me and my family. During this trip, my daughter and I also visited Sokal, where several of my Ukrainian relatives live. We learned that one family member, Maxim Nazar, had recently re- turned from his second deployment at the Eastern front. We also heard how many young men from that region had died (3rd highest rate from all of Ukraine), how many had been injured—both phys- ically and emotionally—and how many needed se- rious help. The news of the upcoming opening of the Mental Health Institute was a glimmer of hope, not only for the traumatized soldiers but also for their families; the potential of the Mental Health Institute’s impact on the entire country is enor- mous. As noted in recent issues of Our Life , the UNWLA Executive Committee unanimously ap- proved an initial donation of $100,000 for this un- dertaking, which continues to evolve under Mari- anna Zajac’s leadership and the work of our Social Services Committee. All UNWLA members should be justifiably proud to be part of this new and very important project. This UNWLA member, with family members engaged in the struggle for Ukraine’s future, is also happy and proud. The author is Co-Liaison for UNWLA Branches at Large and a member of UNWLA Branch 56
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