Ukraine Social and Health Resiliency Program
Summary
In 2024, Northwell Health Center for Global Health committed to launch the Ukraine Social and Health Resiliency Program. Ukraine, specifically in mental health, has one of the lowest ratios of health professionals to their population in Europe. Ukrainian health care workers are grappling with severe stress, burnout, and trauma due to ongoing conflict and resource limitations. Over the next five years, in partnership with Glasswing International and the mayor’s office of Bucha, Ukraine, Northwell Health will offer unique mental health resources tailored specifically for those at the forefront of health care delivery in conflict zones, impacting up to 45,000 Ukranian health care and other service providers. This program expands upon the mental health needs of providers in war-conflict environments and adopts a holistic approach to support health care professionals and civil servants, building a resilient workforce and community for the future of Ukraine.
Approach
Northwell Health, in collaboration with Glasswing International, is embarking on a five-year project aimed at enhancing the resilience and mental well-being of healthcare workers in Ukraine. This initiative is poised to make a significant impact, directly benefiting 45,000 healthcare workers over its duration. By providing comprehensive mental health support and training, the program seeks to address the critical needs of those at the forefront of healthcare delivery in a conflict zone.
In the first-year pilot phase, Northwell will collaborate with Glasswing International to deliver bi-monthly resilience training sessions utilizing the SanaMente curriculum; certifying champion trainers who will then disseminate training in Ukraine. Country partners, Healthy Initiatives, and the Mayor’s office in Bucha, will identify healthcare providers and civil servants to travel to New York for the two-day training. Each session, accommodating up to 20 participants, will be repeated bi-monthly during the first year. From years two to five, the program will scale up to offer monthly training sessions. To ensure the program’s efficacy, two post-training surveys will be administered: one immediately after the training and another three months later to assess the training’s impact on workforce practice and care adaptation.
In addition, to combat the isolation experienced by healthcare providers, Northwell will leverage expertise from their Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience, and Recovery (CTSRR) to create a virtual peer support network. This component will match Ukrainian providers with CTSRR clinicians for mentoring and resilience-building support via Zoom. During the pilot year, bi-weekly virtual mentoring sessions will be held, increasing to weekly sessions from years two to five, initially serving 15 Ukrainian providers and expanding annually.
Northwell will also aim to amplify the mental health workforce with a pilot phase in the first year by collaborating with the Mayor of Bucha’s office, targeting educational facilities for curriculum development and mental health education.
Potential challenges include adapting to changing needs due to the ongoing war and limited resources. The dynamic nature of the conflict may require adjustments in training content and delivery. Resource constraints could impact the frequency and scale of training sessions and the ability to maintain a consistent peer support network. Addressing these challenges will require flexibility, ongoing assessment, and possibly additional funding to ensure the program’s success and sustainability.
Action Plan
In the first quarter of the pilot phase the program will commence with a kickoff meeting involving Glasswing International, Healthy Initiatives, the Mayor’s office in Bucha, and Northwell Health to finalize the selection of the first cohort of the SanaMente training. In this meeting, a finalized deliverable of the training will be reviewed and formalized with the joint team.
A second kick-off meeting will occur in February of the first quarter with CTSRR and joint team to discuss the initial setup and mentoring sessions for the virtual peer support network.
During March of the first quarter, the inaugural bi-monthly resilience training session will take place in New York, accommodating 20 participants, while bi-weekly virtual peer support mentoring sessions with CTSRR will commence. By May 2025, curriculum development meetings with educational facilities in Bucha for mental health education will be identified for collaborative opportunities for knowledge exchange and support. By June 2025, administration of the post-resilience training survey and satisfaction survey for CTSRR (3 mos.) will be gathered.
The remaining schedule for the bi-monthly resilience training for the pilot year is as follows: May 2025, July 2025, September 2025, November 2025. Annually, a report of program effectiveness and survey evaluations will be shared with CGI for transparency.
In the second year, from January to December, monthly resilience training sessions will be conducted in either New York or Ukraine, each accommodating 20 participants. Weekly virtual peer support mentoring sessions with CTSRR clinicians will begin.
For years three to five, from January to December, monthly resilience training sessions will continue, with the number of participants increasing, in addition to the virtual peer support network. Partnerships with local universities and schools on mental health curricula will be established to train professionals in the mental health field.
Background
Currently, Ukrainian healthcare workers are grappling with severe stress, burnout, and trauma due to ongoing conflict and resource limitations. The continuous exposure to trauma, coupled with the overwhelming demand for medical and psychological care, has strained their capacity to cope effectively. There is an urgent need for mental health support to mitigate the effects of prolonged stress and to enhance their ability to provide quality care. The healthcare system is under immense pressure, highlighting the necessity for sustainable mental health solutions to support these frontline heroes. Ukraine, specifically in mental health has one of the lowest ratios of mental health professionals to their population in Europe.
Northwell Health is committed to addressing the mental health needs of healthcare workers and service providers in Ukraine through a comprehensive program. Developed with Glasswing International, this initiative provides sustained mental health support and resilience training to those at the forefront of healthcare and other critical services.
The program establishes a peer-to-peer counseling system for continuous emotional and psychological support. Acknowledging the intense pressures faced in conflict zones, it creates a sustainable network fostering mental well-being. Leveraging Northwell’s mental health specialists, the program aims to build a resilient community equipped to handle unique challenges.
The initiative extends to other service providers, ensuring a holistic approach to mental health care across sectors. This inclusive system addresses the needs of professionals playing vital community roles. Utilizing the SanaMente curriculum adapted to the Ukrainian context, it offers proven mental health training for healthcare workers, first responders, and the military. (https://glasswing.org/working-together-for-mental-health/) Northwell Health collaborates with the Bucha mayor’s office to explore innovative care delivery models tailored to specific challenges faced by Ukrainian providers. These models integrate advanced mental health practices into everyday operations, ensuring accessible and effective care.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
Northwell is seeking additional co-implementing partners to help scale and maintain program efforts. The co-partners would contribute to expanding the reach and influence of the mental health initiatives, promoting long-term success and efficacy.
Additionally, Northwell is seeking financial resources to make the programming sustainable and support its growth. Funding will enable Northwell to amplify projects, introduce new initiatives, and maintain the high quality of services, allowing them to continue making a significant difference in global mental health. This is a principle priority for our relationship with CGI., Northwell offers extensive thought leadership backed by evidence-based strategies through proven mental health models such as CTSRR and SanaMente. These programs and models have been recognized as best practice and provide topic expertise in resilience, stress, trauma, PTSD, and burnout.
Additionally, Northwell has direct relationships with the First Lady’s Office of Ukraine and the Mayor of Bucha, which can be utilized for media outreach efforts and public health campaigning within the country. These connections allow communication and advocacy efforts to reach a global audience from a partner perspective.
Northwell has experience as a strong implementing partner, evidenced by its extensive global health experience and partner-led programming across core sites, inclusive of India, Ecuador, Ukraine, and Guyana. These programs involve partnerships at both governmental and local levels, ranging from the President’s office to local health clinics, highlighting a multi-level strategy to healthcare programming and development.