With support from Oschadbank and Visa, a rehabilitation module for war victims was opened in Vasylkiv

A new rehabilitation module for people affected by the full-scale Russian invasion - veterans, women veterans, their families, and civilians - has been opened in Vasylkiv, Kyiv region. This is the second project of the social franchise from the Mindy Foundation, which aims to make rehabilitation and psychosocial services available to veterans and civilians in small amalgamated territorial communities without the need to travel to regional centers.

In order to scale up the social franchise within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, the Mindy Foundation, the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the NGO Bezbariernist, the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, and members of the Business Without Barriers community - Visa and Oschadbank - have joined the consortium. The project was implemented as part of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program “Are You OK?”, which is being implemented at the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska.

“Today, the issue of rehabilitation and restoration of health of both veterans and civilians affected by the war is one of the priority challenges for our country. The war has affected each of us, especially those who have experienced its destructive impact directly. That is why rehabilitation services should be available to everyone, regardless of their place of residence, including the most remote communities,” commented Oleksandr Porkhun, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine.

“We are proud that the idea of creating mobile rehabilitation modules, which we launched as part of our foundation, is successfully scaling up and is already being implemented in new cities in Ukraine. The first module in Ovruch demonstrated a great need for such services, and based on the experience gained, we have improved our approaches for further projects, such as the rehabilitation module in Vasylkiv. This is not just a medical facility, but a place where people get a chance to fully recover and return to normal life. Together with our partners, we continue to work to ensure that such opportunities are available in every region where they are needed,” said Taras Yermakov, Head of the Mindy Foundation.

The mobile rehabilitation module is a modern, technologically advanced, barrier-free space of 72 square meters that provides free psychosocial and physical rehabilitation services. It is equipped with all the necessary rehabilitation equipment, as well as a Wi-Fi system, a TV for online classes, climate control equipment, and other necessary technical means.

“Barrier-free is the philosophy of an equal opportunity society proposed by First Lady Olena Zelenska. The project to install mobile rehabilitation modules materializes this philosophy in at least two dimensions: in a completely barrier-free space where different people will be comfortable, and in an accessible recovery service that does not require a trip to the regional center,” said Oksana Zbitneva, Head of the NGO Bezbariernist and Head of the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The social franchise format also provides for a multidisciplinary team of specialists in each module, which makes the rehabilitation process as effective as possible. This team includes a case manager, a psychologist, a doctor of physical and rehabilitation medicine, a physical therapist, a speech therapist, and specialists from partner organizations that provide other social services.

“Rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans is one of the key areas of Oschadbank's inclusive program My Accessibility. For almost a year of its work in this area, we have done a lot. For example, we have three projects of cooperation with the rehabilitation Superhumans Center, for which we not only transfer funds ourselves but also involve customers and partners. We have an internal reintegration program for demobilized colleagues. A separate area is the economic reintegration of female and male veterans into society through Oschad's cooperation with government support programs and through our own banking product for Ukrainians who have returned from war. The social franchise of rehabilitation modules is an important component of these initiatives. We are proud that with our support it is being extended to different regions of Ukraine,” commented Serhii Naumov, Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank.

“Supporting social initiatives is one of Visa's strategic priorities, and in the context of a full-scale war, these efforts are even more important. We are pleased that the social franchise of the Mindy Charity Foundation is successfully scaling up, creating full-fledged rehabilitation conditions for war-affected people in new Ukrainian cities for this project,” commented Svitlana Chyrva, Vice President, Regional Manager for Ukraine and Moldova at Visa. ”We are proud to continue supporting this important initiative that helps Ukrainians return to a full life, fulfilling our global mission of empowering local communities.”

The social franchise contains a full package of necessary documents and algorithms for interaction between the main participants: the community, the state and donors. This makes it easier to integrate the module into the local health care system, NHSU packaging, and other state and local services. This approach significantly strengthens the system of secondary long-term rehabilitation after the main period of treatment in an outpatient format.

“Establishing a rehabilitation center for veterans in the Vasylkiv community is a crucial step in the realities of our time. Helping war veterans and military personnel returning to civilian life is the No. 1 issue for all of us today. And it is our common duty to stand by them in this difficult time. We are grateful to everyone who is involved in such an important cause. The creation of such centers is not only about rehabilitation, but also about adaptation to new living conditions,” said Natalia Balasynovych, Mayor of Vasylkiv.

Rehabilitation clusters have already been developed, consisting of a rehabilitation module, a module for temporary accommodation of veterans, patients and doctors, and a module with a rehabilitation pool.

To become a patient of the rehabilitation module in Vasylkiv, you need to fill out an online form here.

The first rehabilitation module of the social franchise was opened in Ovruch, Zhytomyr region, in January 2024. As part of the franchise scaling, the rehabilitation space in Vasylkiv has been improved based on feedback from Ovruch specialists and patients.