SOLOMIYA: Long-term strengthening of medical and psychosocial infrastructures in Ukraine

The SOLOMIYA network is a large German-Ukrainian network. More than 20 institutions of the Ukrainian health care system and five institutions of the German health care system are involved. Initially started as a partnership between Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kharkiv National Medical University, the Institute of Mental Health of the Catholic University of Lviv and the Ukrainian Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Lviv, the network is currently developing continuously and comprehensively based on current needs in Ukraine.

The hospital partners work in the fields of mental health, traumatology and emergency medicine. More specialties are expected in the future. SOLOMIYA covers renowned institutions from Lviv to Kharkiv.

The following hospital partners are currently involved on the German side:

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BG Kliniken, Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität Munich, the Institute for Mental Health Mannheim and the University of Freiburg. The University of Oxford is also involved in the network.

The SOLOMIYA partners pursue the common goal of improving the psychological care of the people in the Ukrainian war zone as quickly and realistically as possible. In addition, the people on the ground need emergency medical support. In this emergency situation, the hospital partners are building a dynamic and needs-based platform that will benefit both patients and health professionals. It aims to provide concrete support to the entire Ukrainian population who are experiencing stress and trauma due to the war.

Background

Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine poses a major challenge to medical institutions and their professionals in three ways:

1. the number of patients is increasing rapidly

2. Treatment resources are decreasing due to lack of staff and material.

3. Clinics and hospitals are a direct target of attacks.

Currently, more than ten million Ukrainians are on the run. About half of them are children and young people, many of whom are in urgent need of psychosocial support. Experience from previous crisis regions shows that in comparable armed conflicts, 40% of those affected show symptoms of stress that require treatment and 20% develop post-traumatic stress disorders.

At the same time, health professionals are strongly affected in the war zone - they care for sick people, but at the same time are themselves exposed to enormous stress and anxiety.

Activities

• Supplying the participating Ukrainian clinics with medicines and medical supplies.
• Establishment of a further education and training concept:
• Digital training courses for medical professionals in the field of traumatology (these training courses are an online training series for medical professionals that takes place at regular intervals in cooperation between the BG clinics and the Kharkiv Institute of Traumatology).
  
• preparation and implementation of a course for medical staff on the treatment of burns
• psychological first aid courses
• Train-the-trainer programme to train Ukrainian professionals to conduct psychological first aid courses
  
• Development and implementation of online workshops on the topics of Staff Care and Burnout Prevention as well as Female Mental Health
• Development of an integrative telemedical platform
• Development of a chatbot for psychological first aid
• Development of a self-help app for chronic stress and sleep disorders
• Development of an expansion plan for SOLOMIYA partnerships.

Impact

Targeted psychological and emergency medical support for the Ukrainian population reduces the negative long-term effects of armed attacks on their mental health. Early recognition and treatment of stress and trauma-related disorders increases the chances for patients to lead as normal a life as possible after the war. The establishment and expansion of the network and the training of trainers ensure that the numerous approaches are sustainably anchored in Ukraine beyond the funding period.