Overview of the Miyagi
Disaster Mental Health CareCenter

Overview of the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
Overview of operating association
Name:

Miyagi Prefecture Mental Health and Welfare Association

Purpose of
establishment:

promote mental health and welfare, and improve themental health and welfare of citizens in Miyagi
Prefecture

Establishmentof association:

1971 (opened 1959)

Director:

Noriyuki Takashina (Chairman, Shotokai Minamihama
Central Hospital)

Location:

Osaki City, Miyagi
Prefecture

Progress of Installation of the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
A Disaster Mental Health Care Center needed to be installed as a base to provide a long-term response for victims
with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol-related problems, suicide, and other mental problems
caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster; and support medical care and community life for people withmental illness. Miyagi Prefecture inquired about the operation of a center, and following active efforts by theAssociation, the authorities have decided that a Disaster Mental Health Care Center be established and operated in thePrefecture.
・November 2011 Establishment of a preparation room within the Association
・December 2011 Disaster Mental Health Care Center (Stem Center) installed
・April 2012 Ishinomaki Regional Center and Kesennuma Regional Center installed
Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center system
Kesennuma

President:

Naru Fukuchi (Hospital Associate Professor, Tohoku
Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital)

Number of staff:

37 (31 full-time, 6 part-time) as of April 1, 2021

Professions:

psychiatrists, psychiatric social workers, psychologists,public health nurses, nurses, etc.

CityKuriharaCity

Minamisanriku

Osaki City

Kami Town

WakuyaTown
Shikama TownIshinomakiCity

Ohira Village

Onagawa

Taiwa● Stem Center [Aoba Ward, Sendai City]○ Activity areas (Shiogama District, Iwanuma District,Town

OsatoMatsu

Higashimatsus

Townshimahima City

Rifu
Town

inland areas)● Ishinomaki Regional Center [Ishinomaki City]○ Activity areas (Ishinomaki District)● Kesennuma Regional Center [Kesennuma City]○ Activity areas (Kesennuma District and Ichinoseki
District (evacuation destination)

TagajoCity

Shiogama
City
Shichigahama
Town

Kawasaki
Town
NatoriCity

MurataZao

Town

Iwanuma
Shibata

Town

CityTown

Shichikashuku Town

OgawaraWatariTown

Town

Shiroishi

Kakuda

CityCityYamamoto
Town

Marumori

Kesennuma Regional Center
Ishinomaki Regional Center
Stem CenterTown

Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center organization chart
President

Advisor

Ishinomaki Regional

Kesennuma Regional

Center Director

Center Director

Vice President

Community Support
Department Director(Concurrent)
Executive Director

General Affairs
Division

Business ManagementDivision

Stem Center Community
Support Division

−3−

Town

Town

Sendai City

Locations(activity areas):

Town

Tome City

Ishinomaki Regional Center

Kesennuma Regional Center

Community Support Division

Community Support Division

The basic philosophy and activity policy of the MDMHCC are published in the Second Operation Plan (Summaryversion) 2021–2025.
Main activities from 2021
We consider all residents of Miyagi Prefecture who were psychologically affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake as targets of mental health care, and we are engaged in support projects according to the actual conditionsof the community so that citizens of the prefecture could live with peace of mind as soon as possible in the community.

We visit residents in need ofsupport upon request bymunicipalities.

We continue to provide gathering
places, such as various salons that
the MDMHCC has been involved
in, as places where residents canconnect and engage in activities.

Resident
supportWe will continue to conduct
initiatives that make use of thevarious methods that we havecultivated to further establish
residents’ understanding andinterest in mental health.
Raising
publicawarenessWe disseminate information
on mental health through ourwebsite and other means todeepen understanding amongresidents.

We provide professional
advice from the perspective ofmental health regarding
dealing with difficult casesand project management uponrequest from supporters.

We provide training andinterviews for supporters withthe aim of improving self-careand skill improvement at therequest of local governments.
Supportforsupporters

We summarize activities for eachfiscal year and provide them torelated organizations as an Activity
Report.

Through cohort studies, weprovide consultations andtraining for supporters so that
we can provide effective
support for children’s mentalcare.

■ Characteristics of initiatives
・ We conduct activities that meet the needs of the community, with a focus on support provided by the health andwelfare departments of local governments as well as disaster victim support staff.
・ Multiple professionals go beyond the boundaries of their professions and work as a team.

−4−

Activity results
We have responded to the needs of the community, including the following: health surveys of tenants in emergency(container-type) temporary housing/apartment-type rental housing and public housing installed in Miyagi Prefecture;
support for individuals who required follow-up based on results of various health surveys conducted in municipalities;
professional advice regarding support for difficult resident cases; mental health support for exhausted administrative
staff and supporters, such as supporters for temporary housing; and support aimed to supplement the shortage ofprofessional human resources in municipalities.
* Emergency (container-type) temporary housing is referred to as “emergency housing” and apartment-type rentalhousing is referred to as “private rental” below.
* Tabulation work was conducted using our own business statistics system. In cases where a response was provided bymultiple staff members, the same activity was tabulated as a single case.
Resident support
9,000
7,135 cases7,589 cases

6,437 cases 6,236 cases

6,671 cases

6,000

7,121 cases
6,366 cases
6,191 cases
5,964 cases
Interview counseling (cases)

3,853 cases

Telephone counseling (cases)

3,000

0

Resident support (total number of cases)
Fiscal year
Interview
counseling (cases)
Telephonecounseling (cases)

2012
(H24)

2013
(H25)

2014
(H26)

2015
(H27)

2016
(H28)

2017
(H29)

2018
(H30)

2019
(R1)

2020
(R2)

2021
(R3)

4,492

4,926

5,569

5,921

4,828

4,990

4,419

4,047

3,793

2,752

1,945

1,310

1,5661,668

1,843

2,131

1,947

1,917

2,398

1,101

Health surveys of tenants in emergency/private rental and public housing installed in Miyagi Prefecture, support forindividuals who required follow-up based on results of various health surveys conducted in municipalities
Raising public awareness
6.000

600
4545
people400

3,526
people4511
people3,489
people3814
people3673
people3466
people4.0003173 people

200

2.000
1086 people

0859 people

97 cases 295 cases 396 cases 378 cases 379 cases 399 cases 405 cases 415 cases 337 cases 213 cases

Number of times0

Number of participants

Raising public awarenessFiscal year
Number of cases
Number ofparticipants (people)

2012
(H24)
97

2013
(H25)
295

2014
(H26)
396

2015
(H27)
378

2016
(H28)
379

2017
(H29)
399

2018
(H30)
405

2019
(R1)
415

2020
(R2)
337

2021
(R3)
218

3,526

3,489

4,545

4,511

3,814

3,673

3,466

3,173

1,086

859

Dissemination of information and public awareness of mental health◇ Salon activities, training for raising public awareness, mental health counseling service booths, etc.

−5−Support for supporters

2,000

1,862 cases 1,915 cases
1,606 cases 1,549 cases

1,492 cases

1,390 cases
1,183 cases

1,052 cases

1,000

839 cases
607 cases

0

Support for supporters
Fiscal year
Number of cases

2012
(H24)
1,052

2013
(H25)
1,862

2014
(H26)
1,915

2015
(H27)
1,606

2016
(H28)
1,549

2017
(H29)
1,492

2018
(H30)
1,390

2019
(R1)
1,183

2020
(R2)
839

2021
(R3)
607

Support for supporters, such as municipal staff and supporters for temporary housing, with the aim of maintaining
mental health activities as well as physical and mental health
Human resource development, until FY 2020
500
400

10,0009,934
people5,505
people300

5,552
people5,696
people5,668
people5,398
people8,000
5,417
people5,390
people

6,000

200

4,000
1,780 people

100
283 cases 167 cases

171 cases

159 cases

152 cases

172 cases 136 cases

133 cases

2,000

88 cases00

Number of times

Number of participants

Human resource development
Fiscal year
Number of cases
Number ofparticipants(people)2012 (H24) 2013 (H25) 2014 (H26) 2015 (H27) 2016 (H28) 2017 (H29) 2018 (H30) 2019 (R1)2020 (R2)

283

167

171

159

152

172

136

133

88

9,934

5,505

5,552

5,696

5,398

5,668

5,417

5,390

1,780

Dissemination of knowledge and training for professionals and supporters involved in mental health◇ Support skills training for administrative officials, supporters for temporary housing, educators, etc.; training foraddiction-related problems, etc.

−6−Characteristics of Centers

Stem Center

Ishinomaki Regional Center
The entire area was affected by the disaster.
Building a system to directly support residents
and a support system through stronger
cooperation between supporters is becoming anurgent issue alongside changes, such as
relocating to public housing.

Oversees municipalities in the Shiogama HealthCenter and Iwanuma Branch areas; responds toissues according to individual reconstruction
situations and needs while sharing issues withmunicipalities and health centers● The number of requests for responses to mothers● The manner in which collaborations with health

who have mental health problems is increasing, andwe are conducting accompanying visits andinterviews with municipal officials.

centers and municipalities will be conducted wassummarized as a plan, and in addition toproviding direct support to residents, healthcenters will play a central role in buildinga system to support supporters.
● Deepen communication in the area throughpractice, such as hosting workshops incollaboration with health centers andmunicipalities● There is a need for advice on difficult cases inmunicipalities, and our participation is needed incase study meetings and support meetings.

Kesennuma Regional Center
The entire area was affected by the disaster.
There had been a shortage of professionals
involved in mental health care even before theGreat East Japan Earthquake, and this has become
an even more serious issue after the earthquake.
This Center is recognized as an institution that canhandle individual counseling for residents, and thenumber of consultations remains high.
● Individual consultations have increased in

number for children and working-age people intheir 20s through 40s.
● Consultation contents often are multifaceted andcomplicated, and continuous support is required.

Children’s Mental Health Care Community-Based Project From FY 2016 to FY 2020

(Number of cases)

Fiscal year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020(1) Consultation
project

Consultations

230281330373(2) Professional
dispatch

Number oftimes

234266309229(3) Training project

Number oftimes

4351

4047

(4) Dissemination/
public awarenessproject

Number oftimes

42

320(5) Research projectStudies

22

11

9−

7−

Visits, walk-in, telephone counseling forchildren, family, supporters
Child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists,
262 etc., dispatched to municipalities, schools,
nursery centers, etc.
Holding workshops; dispatching instructors
31 to training conducted by municipalities,
nursery centers, etc.
Cooperating with the dissemination of
information in pamphlets and public
4
relations magazines on children’s mental
health, salons, etc.
431

4 Michinoku Children’s Cohort Study