Activity Report
Community Support Division, Ishinomaki Regional Center– 55 –

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Report of the Ishinomaki Regional Center
Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center（MDMHCC）
Community Support Division, Ishinomaki Regional Center
Shigeru Okazaki‐Manager,Psychiatric Social Worker
Hiromi Arai‐Assistant Manager, Psychiatric Social Worker

Introduction
As of the end of April 2017, the Ishinomaki Regional Center (hereafter, “the Center”) is in chargeof Ishinomaki (Population, 147,000; Number of households, 61,198; Area, 554.5 km2),
Higashimatsuyama (Population, 40,151; Number of households, 15,563; Area, 101.9 km2), andOnagawa (Population, 6,675; Number of households, 3,144; Area, 65.8 km2). In total, the Center is
supporting a population of 193,827,79,905 households in an area of 722.2 km2 with 12 staff members(including 3 seconded staff members).
Our staff members mainly work in Ishinomaki (excluding those seconded to Higashimatsuyama
and Onagawa). On April 1, 2005, Ishinomaki was recreated by becoming incorporated with Monou;
Kanan; Kahoku; Kitakami; Ogatsu of Monou, an adjacent administrative district; and Oshika, Oshikagun.
In FY2016, with a part-time psychiatrist as the president, the Center provided support for thecommunity with 12 staff members: 4 full-time psychiatric social workers, 1 administrative clerk,
3 part-time public health nurses, 2 full-time psychiatric social workers seconded to
Higashimatsushima-shi and Onagawa-cho, and 1 full-time occupational therapist seconded to
Ishinomaki-shi. Staff members work in four different sites, and we have maintained communication
via monthly all-center conferences.
This article describes and reports on the Center’s activities and offers a discussion.
Activity reports
1. Resident support(1) Survey by home visit
The Center’s resident support (excluding what is offered by seconded staff members)
constituted 63.5% (at 1,021.0 hours) of the total activity period of 1,607.2 hours.
In Ishinomaki, the focus of the Center’s activities has been a health survey via home visits of
the residents of the municipality’s public housing. This survey has been conducted since FY2015
with the following aims: to capture the health conditions of the residents of public housing andtheir support needs, to link the findings to concrete health support projects for those whose needs
are already known and who need follow-up, and to incorporate the survey findings intodeveloping the support regime required by the residents of public housing. In FY2016, we wereagain asked to help with the health survey via home visit projects for the residents in themunicipality’s public housing and all the public housing that was located in urban areas.
The participants were all households that had moved in between January and end of February
2016. Between April 2016 and March 2017, the center conducted the health survey for 165
households (284 persons) in Ishinomaki’s public housing. Of 165 households, the survey wascompleted for 121 households, and continued (including re-visits) for 24 households and 20– 57 –

households who could not be contacted. Further, 80 households were surveyed by the seconded
staff member or by the accompanying staff members from the Center when they carried out
home visits.
The number of surveys by home visits of the residents of public housing requested by
Ishinomaki has reduced by 45% from FY2015 to FY2016, including the ones carried out by theseconded staff members.
The people the Center was asked to survey through home visits included single men, thosewith mental health issues, those with a score of more than 13 points on K6, and those who weresuspected of alcohol abuse. We provided advice on available services and health issues to those
who had mental health issues and those who said they were anxious. When mental health careand general advice was necessary following the earthquake, we repeated the home visits in orderto gather information and to pacify the residents. After conducting the assessment, we referredthese people to relevant facilities. We shared information with the municipality about those who
we thought needed to be reported to the authority through the Care and Health Unit, by referringto the Comprehensive Community Support Center and by attending the area meetings.
Our reflections on the survey by home visit are as follows: Compared to the responses to the questionnaire, there were more people whose physicaland mental health had actually improved due to moving into public housing.
 The proportion of single-person households, two-person households, and single-elderlyperson households was high.
 Among the surveyed, many residents were aged 65 years or older.
 The proportion of those without a job/employment was high.
In public housing, the municipality and the Social Welfare Council have been promoting
continued monitoring and a mutual-support regime. Activities to re-build a new community arestill thought to be highly important.
In addition to the health survey by home visit of the residents of public housing, we
conducted a health survey of the residents of 22 container-type temporary households (25persons) in FY2016, a health survey of the residents of 29 apartment-type temporary housing (31persons), and a survey by home visit of 37 households (43 persons) as part of the “Health Survey
with Residents of Public Housing” conducted by the prefecture and municipality. We decided torepeat the visit with 24 households who participated in the health survey of the residents of
Ishinomaki public housing and 4 households who participated in the health survey of theresidents of container-type temporary housing.
The health survey of the residents of container-type temporary housing was conducted inorder to capture their health conditions and link those needing follow-up to health support
projects because more than six years had passed since they had begun to live in the temporary
housing and various health issues were expected to emerge. Although some people who havestarted a new life in public housing or rebuilt their houses by themselves on the one hand, there
are also people who do not have the prospect of starting a new life while living in the containertype temporary housing or apartment-type temporary housing and were becoming increasingly
depressed about the future because they could not move into public housing regardless of thenumber of times they apply. In other words, new, more complex, and diverse problems are
emerging. We repeated the visits with those who complained about psychological anxiety, andwe referred those who found it difficult to handle the procedures to apply for public housing to
the relevant support bodies.
(2) Community salon activities (group activities)
 Koko Farm Project
The “Koko Farm Project” started in FY2013 and continued into FY2016, and the participants
met twice a month (second and fourth Thursdays) for about two hours from April to March,– 58 –

excluding the winter period, and grew pumpkins, onions, radish, cucumbers, and eggplants. They
engaged with the whole process from sowing, planting, fertilizing, watering, and weeding toharvesting.
After working on the land, all the participants enjoyed a tea break, which acted as a venue forsocializing. In the last meeting in December, the participants and staff held the “Harvest festival,”
while reflecting on the activities conducted in the year.
The meeting was conducted 18 times, and the total number of participants was 200 (including
the Harvest festival). The average number of participants per meeting was about 11, and a totalof 20 people (8 men and 12 women) participated. Due to the weather and how the crops weregrowing, there were schedule changes, and at times, they worked on non-designated work days.
At times, the number of participants was very low. In this project, two volunteers with extensive
agricultural experience participated for a total of 49 times, including the preparatory meetings.
At the Harvest festival, the following reflections were observed: “I am gradually recalling thework that I used to do on the field,” “I feel assured when I come here, to the farm, and see others,”“I can join in without worrying too much because no one will accuse you if you do not knowwhat to do and feel depressed,” “I was quite depressed until I joined this project but I have beenfeeling calmer since I joined the farm project,” and “I hope that we can continue next year.”
In FY2016, the living environment of many participants saw major changes such as moving
into public housing and rebuilding houses. Those participants who moved to public housing havesaid: “At public housing, there is no community, and I have significantly fewer opportunities togo out” and “Koko Farm gives me the opportunity to go out.” These views suggest thatparticipation in the Koko Farm Project serves as an opportunity to go out and socialize.
Some participants have left the Koko Farm Project because they moved to public housing or
because they began to use care insurance service due to their age. One such participant who
could no longer participate due to moving houses was very sorry that he/she could no longer
participate in Koko Farm and said the following: “Through the involvement with Koko Farm, I
was in touch with soil, and I have regained my ability to think positively by socializing withothers” and “I think I will be okay in my new place.”
More than four years have passed since we started the Koko Farm Project. We have observedthat those who were traumatized by the Earthquake and had very few opportunities to socialize
have gradually regained the energy to rebuild their lives, and the Koko Farm Project has played
an important role by providing the participants opportunities for socializing and pleasure.
 Handicraft class (Chigiri-e [collage of torn pieces of paper] class)Since FY2013, we have been conducting the “Handicraft class (Chigiri-e class)” (hereafter,
the Chigiri-e class) in order to provide a venue for socializing for the residents of the apartmenttype temporary housing.
In FY2016, the class was held once a month and for 11 times in the year (one class wascancelled due to a tsunami alert), and the total number of participants was 77.
The participants were actively involved from the preparatory period, and they enjoy
conversations. During the tea break, they show their work to each other and comment on it. The
class is therefore held in a calm environment.
The participants have made the following statements: “I have finally found my place. I always
wanted to have a place for socializing,” “I like the uncompetitive environment,” “I like it that noone asks me about the earthquake,” and “Because instruction is given such that I can always
complete what I am working on, I want to join again.” Three volunteers acted as the instructor,
and they said the following: “(The level of participants) is improving every year,” and “I amhappy because I am also encouraged.”Those who could not complete their piece during class take it back home to complete it,which suggests a very high level of motivation among the participants. Since FY2014, theinstructors have facilitated their participation in the annual “cultural festival” in other areas byexhibiting their works, which suggests improvements in their relationships with other areas.

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 Life class (originally Handicraft class)Since September 2015, the Center has been holding the Handicraft class (renamed “Life class”
in May 2016) to support women who are not good at forming relationships due to mental healthissues or poor social experience in order to encourage them to regain confidence and to take thefirst step towards independence. The class is held once a month on the fourth Tuesday in the
Ishinomaki Health Consultation Center and is attended by a maximum of five participants. In
FY2016, a total of 16 people participated, and the class was run by 2 staff members from theCenter and an occupational therapist seconded to Ishinomaki. The class has two sessions – oneon handicraft and one on cooking – based on the participants’ past hobbies and what they want totry out. In the handicraft session, they made aprons using the sewing machine, worked on tilecraft, created wreaths, and so on. In the cooking session, seasonal ingredients were used. From
September 2016, the participants have been completing the “reflection sheet.” The participants
were asked to write what they thought went well and what they would like to try out next in the
sheet so as to aid their own reflection. The comments thus collected are used to plan the future
activity and think about the support regime.
One comment found in the reflection sheet shared by the participants said, “I enjoy creating
my piece of work together with other participants.” It appears that the participants were finding
pleasure in looking at others’ work, thinking about one’s own work, and in working while having
a conversation with others in the Life class because they used to work on their own at home.
The class has become a place where participants praise each other’s work and socialize
without worrying by working on the same thing, which then generates the initiative to dosomething else. The Life class seems to act as a place where the participants increasingly feelpositive about themselves while engaging in communication.
Since the participants want to “continue coming to the class” and since the Center also views
the class as an important place for the participants’ socialization and self-actualization, the classis set to continue for FY2017. For FY2017, we are thinking of incorporating outdoor activities inorder to increase the number of opportunities for the participants to go out and to extend thescope of their activities. Because the Life class has a small number of participants, it is easier toobtain feedback from them, and we can ensure that each view is taken into account. We would
like to continue working towards “regaining one’s self and independence,” the aim of the Life
class, while ensuring that we remain aware of the participants’ changing needs.

2. Changes in support
The Center provides support by accompanying the public health nurses in home visits,
participating in case conferences and area meetings, and supporting infant check-ups.
(1) Participation in case conferences and area meetings
The members of the Center have attended case conferences regarding alcohol-related
problems, mental health related problems, dementia, and disputes among neighbors whenrequested by Ishinomaki, the Social Welfare Council, Miyagi Nursing Association, theComprehensive Community Support Center, and medical facilities to discuss what supportshould be given along with other support organizations and to decide about the division of labor.
We have also attended the area support meetings in Hebita and Sumiyoshi areas with Ishinomaki,
the social welfare council, the nursing association, and professional bodies in order to share
information and study the residents of temporary housing. As an increasing number of people
have moved to public housing, the area meetings’ agenda has changed from sharing information
about the residents of temporary housing to sharing information about the residents of public
housing.

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(2) Support for infant health check-ups
Upon request from Ishinomaki, the Center sent a public health nurse and clinical psychologist
to the infant check-up organized in the Kahoku block of Ishinomaki (Kahoku, Kitakami, andOgatsu) in order to provide mother-and-child consultation. Support has been offered 10 times in
the Kahoku block and at the conference that is held after the check-up. In addition to providing
advice about psychological care for the mother and child, we provide individual support for
those who need continued support.
3. Educational activities(1) A training session on alcohol abuse in Kahoku Area, Ishinomaki
The Center has been conducting the “Training session on alcohol abuse related issues in
Kahoku Area (Experiencing the danshukai meeting)” with the Kahoku Comprehensive Branchfrom June 2015 at the Kahoku Comprehensive Branch of Ishinomaki, in co-operation with
Miyagi Prefecture Danshukai and Tohokukai Hospital. A review was held at the end of FY2016,
and it has been decided to conduct the “Experiencing the danshukai meeting” in the Health
Consultation Center of Ishinomaki-shi from FY2017. The background to this is summarized in“4. Human resource development/training.”(2) Hinamatsuri Café
The “Exhibition and Socializing Event” was held primarily with the residents of assumed
temporary housing in FY2016 as the “Hinamatsuri Café” with more emphasis on socializing.
The “Hinamatsuri Café” was held on Friday, March 3, 2017 at the Ishinomaki Joint Office. It
was co-hosted with the Ishinomaki Public Health Center and supported by the Ishinomaki Social
Welfare Council.
For the first time, we set up a help desk with the support of the Miyagi Nursing Associationand the Japanese Association of Social Workers in Health Services. A total of 103 people
participated. The event consisted of the following: Socializing Corner (café area and hand massage) Experience Corner (origami, chigiri-e) Exhibition (works by those participating in the Chigiri-e class and Life class held by the
Ishinomaki Regional Center) Help desk
We also offered health consultation (with the co-operation of the Miyagi Nursing
Association), life consultation (with the co-operation of the Japanese Association of Social
Workers in Health Services), and alcohol patch test (the Center).
In the Chigiri-e Experience Corner, some participants from the Chigiri-e class explained how
to make a chigiri-e piece to the visitors looking at their work. The exhibition thus provided a newopportunity for socializing. With help from chigiri-e instructors, the visitors were encouraged totry chigiri-e at the Experience Corner, which was very popular. Some visitors who tried out
chigiri-e said that they wanted to try learning it, indicating their intention to join the class. Fourvisitors joined the class from March 2017.
At the reflection session with the Miyagi Nursing Association and the Japanese Associationof Social Workers in Health Services, the following opinions were expressed:
 Such opportunities are necessary.
 I saw visitors smiling myself, which gave me a sense of achievement after the event.
 I was healed because I also “participated.” Please hold the event again.
In FY2017, we aim to improve the event by collaborating better with interested parties about
the time of holding the event.
(3) Other projects– 61 –

We received requests to send instructors from the government and other institutions. We sent
our staff as instructors to the training session for the Ishinomaki Liaison Council for the
Improvement of Food Life, the training session for health promotors in Watanami Area,
the FY2016 Area-wide Care Conference of the Yamashita Area Comprehensive Support Centerof Ishinomaki-shi, a special care home for the elderly, and the training session for the staff ofMoto Akai no Sato.
4. Human resource development/training
We describe the major characteristics of the Center’s services below:(1) Training on alcohol abuse related issues
As time has passed since the earthquake, alcohol abuse problems have begun to surface. In
collaboration with governmental institutions and various support organizations, we held training
sessions on alcohol abuse related issues with lecturers invited from Tohokukai Hospital and theJapan Social Worker Association for Alcohol Related Problems (hereafter ASW).
 Ishinomaki Public Health Center
The Center co-hosted a series of three training sessions with the ASW members as lectures. A
total of 119 members participated. The training session with the ASW members ended in
FY2016.
 Training sessions in Higashimatsushima, educational activity by home visit
The training sessions in Higashimatsushima were planned by the municipality’s public healthnurses, and two sessions (one co-hosted with the Community Building Council and the otherhosted by the center alone) were conducted. A doctor from Tohokukai Hospital gave a talk on
the theme of “How to live with alcohol well.” The plan for FY2017 is for public health nurses toengage with educational activities by providing a “mini lecture on alcohol” during the healthconsultation meetings in the area.
We followed up those who had two or more items scored in the CAGE which was involved“Questionnaire on Mental Health,” which was part of the specialized health check-up and also
those who had been consuming alcohol from the morning individually up to FY2015. In FY2016,
two different role holders made up with the public health nurses/psychiatric social workers ofHigashimatsushima, and members of the Center conducted home visits for those who were under
the age of 65 and had a value of more than 100 for ƴ-GTP.
The Center helped out with the Concentrated Home Visit Initiative in November 2016,
following which the municipality staff members continued to carry out home visits till
February 2017. When we started, we were not very sure if the residents would welcome us.
However, we were positively received; the high degree of awareness of the people was seen in
the fact that phone calls were received from households where a “We missed you…” note wasleft. Residents also made phone calls and visited us.
Among those with high ƴ-GTP, some had liver illness, some did not use alcohol, and somewere suspected to be influenced by lifestyle and medication. However, because we had healthcheck-up data, it was easier to provide an explanation that was received positively by the client.
This also served as an opportunity for the resident to reflect on his/her own health and therelationship between his/her lifestyle and the use of alcohol. Since we prioritized moderatedrinking over teetotalism, the residents were more favorably inclined towards us. Since theresidents experienced some worry about the results of the health check-up, they were ready toaccept our preventative intervention for improving their diet, for encouraging them to seek
medical attention for internal diseases, and for practicing moderate drinking.
We achieved our goal for the project, namely, “to raise questions about excessive andcontinuous drinking and to inform and educate about the appropriate way to use alcohol,
including moderate drinking and the importance of non-alcohol days.” Our participants for this– 62 –

round were those below the age of 65; however, because many elderly people abuse alcohol in
the area, our next major challenge is identifying how to expand the scope of our support.
This was the first time that we were able to help out with home visits to those under 65 yearsof age and with more than 100 ƴ-GTP, as identified in the specialized health check-up in
Higashimatsushima, and we learned a lot. Most of those with high test results were alreadythinking that their drinking could be problematic, and it helped us raise questions about
excessive and continuous drinking, which in turn was effective in motivating them to practicemoderate drinking. As members of the Center, we are deeply grateful to receive an opportunity
to participate in a pioneering initiative, and all the members have resolved to actively co-operate
in the next FY.
 Training sessions in Onagawa
We have held training sessions in Onagawa since FY2015. In FY2016, we held two sessions.
The first session was delivered by the President of Tohokukai Hospital on the theme of “Medical
collaboration in reference to alcohol abuse problems,” and the second session was delivered by amember of Alcohol Anonymous (AA) on the theme of “What those with alcohol problems arethinking.” The positive outcomes of these sessions were as follows: a) we learned about themethodology to use when facing alcohol abuse related problems in various positions in thecommunity. b) Because of the collaborative relationship we established among specialist medical
facilities, it became easier to liaise with one another.
As for training sessions for FY2017, it was decided that first, each staff member would
implement what they had learned over the past two years and that they would then identify the
problems to be addressed through training.
 Training sessions in Ishinomaki
A request was received from Ishinomaki to teach the basics of alcohol abuse problems, andwe held training sessions with the municipality’s staff members including the Comprehensive
Branches. With assistance from Tohokukai Hospital, we held training sessions in the form ofcase examinations and lectures on addiction problems.
a. The alcohol training session (“Experiencing the Danshukai meeting” session) at the Kahoku
Comprehensive Branch, Ishinomaki
A lecture on “How to live with alcohol well” by a doctor from Tohokukai Hospital forpatients, general public, and supporters was held on April 15, 2015. In May, a session entitled“Experiencing the Danshukai meeting” was held, and from June, we co-hosted the “Training
Session on Alcohol Abuse Related Problems in the Kahoku Area (Experiencing the Danshukai
meeting)” with the Kahoku Branch and with support from the Miyagi Prefecture Danshukai and
Tohokukai Hospital. We held 13 sessions, including lectures in FY2015, and a total of 329
people including supporters participated. In FY2016, we held 13 sessions, including lectures, anda total of 182 including supporters participated.
b. Proposal for future activities in Ishinomaki
We held the Experiencing the danshukai meeting sessions at the Kahoku Comprehensive
Brach for two years from FY2015 to FY2016. Since the Mental Health Care Center was
established for a fixed term of 10 years, we now conduct our activities with two missions: toprovide support for the victims and to think about how we should bring the danshukai until theCenter close.
We believe that one of the missions of the Center in dealing with alcohol abuse problems is tosupport the construction of a regime that enables the “danshukai” to continue its activities in
Ishinomaki.
The Kahoku Comprehensive Branch has requested us to continue hosting training sessions
there, and we discussed at the Center if this would generate support for the creation of “a regime
in which the danshukai can work.” The following two points were identified as challenges.

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The first was the venue. We thought that by moving the venue “near the station” or to the“city center,” it would become more convenient for participants. It would also make it easier for
us to seek assistance from the Kodama Hospital and Kashima Memorial Hospital.
The second was about the ease for in-patients to attend the session. We examined the timingsof the session and concluded that it had become urgent to set up a danshukai to be held during
the day.
In order to achieve the above, we need to continue providing support for the danshukai to
become more independent with continued assistance from the Miyagi Prefecture Danshukai andmedical support from Kodama Hospital, Kashima Memorial Hospital, and other psychiatric andpsychosomatic clinics. Continued collaboration with Karakoro Station as a support organization,
the Health Promotion Unit, the Health Department of Ishinomaki, and Tobu Health and Welfare
Bureau is needed.
This means that Ishinomaki and support organizations in the private sector would unite toprovide support for patients with alcohol dependency, and we hope that the Mental Health Care
Center would play its role adequately.
The future direction is summarized in the further details of the project, “Why Don’t You
Have a Chat with Those Who are Abstaining from Alcohol?”
Further details
The “Why Don’t You Have a Chat with Those Who are Abstaining from Alcohol?” project
1. Aims:
It is said that alcohol abuse has begun to surface in the areas that were hit by the Great East
Japan Earthquake, and we can think of many underlying factors. We have found a fairnumber of people with alcohol problems when we conducted a health survey by home visit.
The rebuilding of the community, including those who have rebuilt their houses bythemselves and those who have moved into public housing, has begun, but there are people
who continue to live with the psychological trauma caused by the earthquake in their new
homes and those who do not have a prospect of rebuilding their life as they are stuck inapartment-type temporary housing or container-type temporary housing. New problems, suchas the widening of the gap among individuals in the process of rebuilding, have started toemerge and are becoming increasingly complex and diverse.
Following this, isolation, irritation, despair, uncertainty, and anxiety could pose a risk ofusing alcohol as a means of escape. In order to deal with this, people need to talk their
feelings out, and we need a place to conduct such an exercise.
The Nonprofit Organization Miyagi Prefecture Danshukai (hereafter Prefectural
Danshukai) and the Center of the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center (hereafter
MDMHCC ) will continue to engage with activities to support self-help groups by cooperating and collaborating with interested parties in the Ishinomaki Area and by hosting the“Experiencing the danshukai meeting” sessions.
2. Hosted by: Miyagi Mental health and Welfare Association and Center of the MDMHCC
3. Supported by: Ishinomaki-shi
4. Co-operation: The Prefectural Danshukai
5. Partner institutions: Ishinomaki Public Health Center, Kodama Hospital, Kashima
Memorial Hospital, psychiatric clinics in Ishinomaki, Karakoro Station
6. The event: A meeting to think about abstaining from alcohol
7. Date and time: On every second Thursday from 13:30 to 15:00
8. Venue: Meeting Room, on the first floor, Ishinomaki-shi Health Consultation Center
9. Participants: Those who want to abstain from alcohol and their family; supporters
interested in abstaining from alcohol– 64 –

10. Communication: Handing out the flyer at the consultation desks, asking for cooperation from medical institutions in the Ishinomaki Area
(2) Training on mental health care
We hosted a lecture entitled “To Stay Close to Children: How to Relate to Them in Order to
Develop their Talent” by Ms. Mariko Tanaka, Professor Emerita, Department of Counseling, San
Francisco State University (CEO of InnerCore 9) on October 14, 2016 at Aeon Cinema,
Ishinomaki. The target audience comprised public health nurses and nursery teachers involved
with children in the prefecture, school staff such as teachers and school nurses, clinicalpsychologists, and general public from the prefecture. A total of 158 people attended the lecture,and the response to the questionnaire was largely positive with many participants expressing thedesire to have the lecture again next year.
(3) The Sixteenth Disaster Mental Health Care Social in Ishinomaki
In Ishinomaki, with respect to those who have rebuilt their houses by themselves and those
who have moved to public housing, the initiative to rebuild a new community has been taken by
the Social Welfare Council and local authorities. On the other hand, some people continue to livewith the psychological scars from the earthquake in their new home, and some do not have aclear prospect of rebuilding their life stuck in apartment-type temporary housing and containertype temporary housing. Consequently, new, complex, and diverse problems such as growing
inequalities among victims are emerging.
The first “Disaster Mental Health Care Social” was held in Sendai on Saturday, July 2 in theyear of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The event aimed to bring together supporters working
hard in the affected areas to exchange information and to boost moral for the future.
The event targeting supporters is managed by the implementation committee composed of 13
governmental and private bodies: in addition to the organizations composing the FY2015
Implementation Committee and the Center, we asked the Stem Consultation Centre Kurume of
Onagawa-cho and Ishinomaki-shi, Youth Support College Ishinomaki NOTE, non-profit
organization TEDIC, and Disability Consultation and Support Office to join.
Many supporters from the implementation committee, staff members of the police, firebrigade, local authorities, and the Social Welfare Council felt that their workload had increased
since the earthquake because the problems were becoming more complex and diverse andbecause the affected residents were geographically scattered. They said that they were physicallyand psychologically fatigued and that the event focused on providing stress care for the
supporters.
The venue was Big Bang, Kahoku Comprehensive Center, Ishinomaki-shi, and the event
started at 13:30 on Friday, March 17, 2017 with the “The Power to Heal” being the main theme.
The memorial lecture was given by Professor Shoyu Takahashi (Professor of Medicine,
University of Tsukuba, Doctor of Disaster/Community Psychiatry) entitled “How to Care for
Supporters’ Stress.” A total of four sessions were held: the first was by Professor Yasuhiro Uji’ie(Professor of Human Development, Sendai Shirayuri University) entitled “The Key in Thinking
about the Community,” the second entitled “Monks’ Café” was by Mr. Hidenari Hachimaki(Head monk, Hofuku-ji, Onagawa-cho), the third was “Hand Massage” by Ms. Masuko Ishibashi
and Sumiko Ishimori (School and Salon Smile Heart), and the fourth was on “Yoga” by Ms.
Kaoru Hayashi and Yuko Sato (Keisei Co.). The total number of participants was 103, and theevent was a great success.
We organized the event ourselves in consultation with the organizations active in Ishinomaki
Area. We aim to continue holding the Disaster Mental Health Care Social as a collaborative
project with supporters.

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Discussion
Six years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the recovery of the affectedarea has gradually become noticeable as public housing has become complete. While some haverebuilt their houses by themselves and some have moved to public housing, some people who do nothave a clear prospect of rebuilding their lives are also living in temporary housing. It has become
clearer that the inequalities among the victims in the recovery process are widening.
Additionally, while the population is declining, the number of households is increasing. As aresult, the number of members in a household is declining, implying a rapid spread of the nuclear
family.
Regarding collaboration with other institutions, we have been conducting monthly informationexchange sessions with Ishinomaki-shi, Higashimatsuyama-shi, and Onagawa-cho. While they are
conducted irregularly, we have been in contact with the public health centers and the mental healthand welfare centers. By organizing the Disaster Mental Health Care Social in Ishinomaki via setting
up an implementation committee, we have created a venue to open our hearts, and our mutual
understanding has deepened, as can be observed from our practice of asking for help fromorganizations in the areas in which they excel for our daily activities.
According to the FY2016 health survey with the residents of public housing in Ishinomaki, ahealth survey by home visit within one or two months of moving in offers an opportunity to identify
various and diverse cases and those who need support. We managed to collaborate with otherorganizations and provide the necessary support. Because of this, we will fully co-operate with thehealth survey by home visit with residents of public housing in Ishinomaki in FY2017.
Home visits of those who were of or under the age of 65 years and who were identified as having
more than 100 ƴ-GTP in the specialized health check-up in Higashimatsuyama-shi in FY2016 becamea pioneering project that addressed alcohol abuse by providing preventative support such as advice on
what to eat, motivating the residents to seek medical appointment for internal diseases, andrecommending moderate drinking. We are planning to actively co-operate in FY2017.
In FY2016, upon Onagawa-cho’s request for systematically implementing an alcohol abusestrategy, we hosted training sessions on alcohol abuse problems. In the current FY as well, we would
like to provide training that meets the need of the municipality while continuing to have a dialogue
with them.
The Center adopts the following view: “Supporters, according to us, are those who care about thevictims, those who support the victims to regain independence by making the most of the skills they
have.” We would like to engage with support by carefully listening to what the victims say and to stayclose to them so that we can develop “the skills they have.” We would like to continue providing
support through projects such as the handicraft class, Koko Farm, and “Hinamatsuri Café” to preventthe victims from being isolated and to encourage them to lead an active life.
Regarding alcohol abuse related issues, we would like to pursue our projects in collaboration
with the Miyagi Prefecture Danshukai and other organizations to develop “Experiencing theDanshukai meeting” into a self-help group.
Regarding support for children, we are due to implement the “Mental Health Care for Children:
Community Base Project Plan” from FY2016, and we will continue providing training with the helpof staff members of related organizations and will liaise with other organizations for providing
individual support.
As time has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the infrastructure in Ishinomaki Area
has gradually developed, indicating signs of recovery from the disaster. Simultaneously, recovery
support organizations have begun to withdraw from the affected areas. In addition, the reorganizationof governmental organizations, support regime, and so on is on-going. More than five years havepassed since the establishment of the Center, and we need to make changes to our activities to respondto the state of recovery. We envisage FY2017 as a year in which all our staff members reflect on andexplore what the Center can do while engaging with our work.

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