Kesennuma Regional Center – Community Support Division Activity Report

Kesennuma Regional Center – Community
Support Division Activity Report
Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
Kesennuma Regional Center Community Support Division
Chief, Psychiatric Social worker Mitsuaki Katayanagi
Assistant Chief, Psychiatric Social worker Yuko Arai
Introduction
The main efforts for FY2019 are listed by project. The number of activities for each project is recordedin the FY2019 Activity Report by Project Item in Chapter I, so we will limit our discussion of this here andfocus on project content.
1. Resident support
As in previous years, resident support in FY2019 was based on the results of the health surveys conductedby Miyagi Prefecture and each local government, as well as upon the request of individuals, families, andrelated persons; we accepted mental health consultations with a range of persons, from children to elderly
people, and provided support.
Furthermore, two staff members were seconded, one to Kesennuma and the other to Minamisanriku, andresident support was conducted while cooperating with each local government’s mental health and welfare
projects.
(1) Kesennuma
The number of consultations has remained almost constant since FY2017. Opportunities for support havetrended similarly as in FY2018, and support requests from administrative institutions, educational institutions, and other related institutions, as well as from individuals and families, all increased. In keeping with
the FY2018 trends, the consultation content often included elementary, junior high school, and high school
students not adapting well to school or becoming truant, domestic problems in the family, workplace or job
duty-related problems among working people, and trauma-related issues. Others included psychologicalillness due to financial factors, alcohol-related problems, and poor adaptation following a move to a newlocation. Many consultations required continued support, and support was continued in collaboration withrelated institutions according to the situation.
Home visit support for residents with a K6 over 13 points who were deemed high risk was provided twice
via health surveys conducted in Kesennuma for residents in private chartered temporary housing. The overall number of health survey subjects has been decreasing with the elimination of the use of private charteredtemporary housing, and the number of cases managed by the Kesennuma Regional Center (henceforth, the“Center”) has been decreasing as a result.
(2) Minamisanriku
We conducted home visits and offered individual telephone-based support in response to requests fromadministrative institutions, other related institutions, individuals, and families. We also provided home visit
support to residents deemed high risk following health surveys conducted by Minamisanriku for residents
in disaster public housing upon the request of the Minamisanriku Health and Welfare Division, Health
Promotion Section (henceforth, “Municipal Health Promotion Section”) (Table 1).
The residents’ mental health varied widely when we examined the current situation of home visits: someresidents improved from an initial high-risk state, while others still have complicated feelings about theearthquake disaster, even now; moreover, some individuals’ mental health was affected by subsequentchanges in their living environment.

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FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
Table 1. Support, such as health survey home visits
Overview

Main support period and primary support target

Home visit support based on FY2018
health surveys of disaster public housing residents

May 2019 to June 2019
Cases with a K6 over 13 points or those
who correspond to description(s) of “alcohol consumption starting in the morning or afternoon” and/or “excessive alcohol consumption”

Number of cases where support is managed by the Kesennuma Regional Center
22(3) Discussion
The number of resident support cases, such as home visits, walk-ins, and telephone-based consultations,conducted by the Center greatly increased in FY2017, after which it has remained almost constant. Factors
influencing the constancy of these values include the uninterrupted receipt of new consultations and thehigh volume of consultations where continuous support is needed. The context for such factors is characterized by the various problems arising in daily life that lead to mental disorders during the course of reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake, recent media coverage of frequently occurring
natural disasters, and concerns about work and interpersonal relationships. It is thought that these have,after several years, triggered the manifestation of the mental agitation and mental illness that were present
at the time of the earthquake disaster. Furthermore, the fact that the Center has become regarded as thedestination for consultations upon referral from related institutions, as well as radio stations and local newspaper columns, is thought to be a factor in the stream of new consultations seen at the Center.
Tangible goals for reconstruction have started to become visible in municipalities, but it is thought thatreconstruction in terms of intangible elements remains in the distance, and there is a need for further attention to these issues. It is thought that a system that can respond to various types of consultations whileworking to collaborate with municipal public health nurses, life support advisors (LSA), and other related
institutions will need to be continued in the future.
2. Supporter support(1) Kesennuma
. Placement of professional staff in local governments (seconded staff)
As in FY2018, one professional staff member was placed in the local government in FY2019,
and that staff member made efforts to reduce municipal public health nurses’ workload by supplementing their work.
. Support for the mental health of local government staff
As in FY2018, we established health consultation desks for local government staff (henceforth,“consultation desks”) in FY2019, with a set managed on every third Wednesday of the month from10:00 to 16:00 in the One-Ten Government Building of Kesennuma City Hall. We were flexible
about our hours and consultation locations in response to requests in cases where it was difficult
to use the service during regular opening hours due to work obligations. We provided support incollaboration with the Kesennuma General Affairs Department, Human Resources Division, in
addition to direct consultations from local government staff.
. Support for the mental health of Kesennuma City Council of Social Welfare staff
We cooperated with the individual interviews of the Kesennuma City Council of Social Welfare(henceforth, “city council”) staff based on the results of the FY2018 health surveys on mental
health conducted by the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Endowed Departmentof Preventive Psychiatry (henceforth, “preventive course”) for city council staff. Future support
desks were to be taken on by the Center instead of the preventive course, as the latter was scheduled
to close at the end of FY2019.

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Kesennuma Regional Center – Community Support Division Activity Report(2) Minamisanriku
. Placement of professional staff in local governments (seconded staff)
As in FY2018, one professional staff member was placed in the local government in FY2019,
and that staff member made efforts to reduce municipal public health nurses’ workload by supplementing their work.
. Support for the mental health of local government staff
As in FY2018, we established consultation desks for government staff twice. As a general principle, the desks in FY2019 were open from 14:00-19:00 every second Thursday and from 11:0015:00 on weekends. We also continued to publish the “One breath” column on mental health aspart of the monthly information released by the Minamisanriku General Affairs Division (henceforth, “Municipal General Affairs Division”) in order to promote the consultation desk. In addition, we were flexible about accommodating usage requests outside the consultation desk’s regular hours, and we provided support in collaboration with the Municipal General Affairs Divisionaccording to consultation content. During the course of these efforts, the number of consultations
in FY2019 increased relative to FY2018.
We participated in meetings about supporting the mental health of local government officials,
alongside the Municipal General Affairs Division, Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma Health andWelfare Office (Kesennuma Health Center) (henceforth, “health center”), where we discussed thecurrent state of affairs. We subsequently worked on providing mental health training for local
government officials and the distributing educational materials as part of mental health support
at the request of the Municipal General Affairs Division and Minamisanriku Health Committee.
(3) Discussion
For the two municipalities of Kesennuma and Minamisanriku, we provided support for local government officials’ work, centering on public health nurses, through the dispatch of seconded staff members;
we also provided overlapping support from the Center. At a basic level, seconded staff members independently supplement municipal public health nurses’ work duties, but they also connected the municipality with the Center and played a coordinator role according to the work duties. It is thought that wewere able to smoothly share and cooperate with the municipalities regarding understanding the local
situation and policies concerning efforts related to local issues.
The content delivered by local government staff consultation desks in both municipalities was related
to workloads as well as the mental illness arising from the damage inflicted by the Great East Japan
Earthquake. It is thought that future support for local government staff in affected areas is needed. As
in the past, we intend to provide individual support for local government staff by regularly establishingconsultation desks and collaborating with related institutions. We will respond to requests from municipalities with regard to mental health measures for the entire staff.
3. Raising public awareness(1) Kesennuma
. Column publication in Sanriku Shinpo
As in FY2018, we published the column “Sanriku Kokoro Communication” on a monthly basis
in collaboration with the Health Center in Sanriku Shinpo, a newspaper whose readers are mainly
in Kesennuma (Table 2). We provided residents with information relating to mental healththrough newspaper media and raised public awareness about where to get consultations.
After meeting with the Health Center, we included articles that matched the state of the community as well as content related to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Following publication, we received questions about the articles as well as consultation calls.

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FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
Table 2. Publication content of “Sanriku Kokoro Communication” in Sanriku Shinpo
Publication
No.
66

Publication
date
April 2019

67

May

68
69

June
July

70

August

71
72
73
74
75
76
77

September
OctoberNovember
DecemberJanuary 2020
February
MarchContent

Overseeing author

Entering a new semester — to all parents embarking on a
new lifestyle
Do you know about frailty (weakness among elderly people)?
Understanding dementia and offering support
Drinking and mental health (1) — how to interact with alcohol safely
Entering the second semester – for those enjoying the summer break
For those who lost a loved one
Living vigorously — recognizing a mental SOS
Please consult with us — could it be domestic violence?
Drinking and mental health (2) — could it be addiction?
Are you sleeping? Getting healthy with high-quality sleep
What is social withdrawal?
Important things for this period — taking care of your heartand body

Kesennuma Regional Center
Kesennuma Regional Center
Kesennuma Health Center
Kesennuma Health Center
Kesennuma Regional Center
Kesennuma Regional Center
Kesennuma Health Center
Kesennuma Regional Center
Kesennuma Health Center
Kesennuma Health Center
Kesennuma Health Center
Kesennuma Regional Center*The publication number is the cumulative number since FY2013.***

. Information dissemination through radio programs
We jointly produced and broadcast the local radio station Radio Kesennuma and “Sunny days, Rainydays” once a week since FY2017. In addition to disseminating information about mental health, we
also conducted educational activities, such as inviting staff from related organizations as guests tointroduce social resources.
. Sponsorship of the Koko Café Alumni Association, a mental health exchange project for residents
Koko Café is a project for private chartered temporary housing residents. The project was jointly
implemented by the Kesennuma Health and Welfare Department, Health Promotion Division (henceforth, “Municipal Health Promotion Division”), the Municipal Council Volunteer Center, andMitsumine Hospital. It concluded at the end of FY2018, so a follow-up alumni association was hosted
in FY2019. Participants confirmed their subsequent situation, and we provided a mini relaxation experience as a form of public awareness of self-care.
. Sponsorship of Otokokatsu, a support project for socially-isolated residents
Otokokatsu is a project that began in FY2017 after repeated discussions with the Municipal Health
Promotion Division about community issues pertaining to the isolation of residents who transitioned
into disaster public housing and the difficulty men are facing regarding connecting with each otherduring community activities. The relevant departments of Kesennuma (Comprehensive Community
Support Center, Elderly Care Division, Social Welfare Division, Karakuwa General Branch, Motoyoshi General Branch) cooperated in FY2018 as a contact point for connecting subjects. From FY2019,
medical and consultation institutions in Kesennuma collaborated to implement these activities. The
content is a combination of communication Mahjong, cooking activities, mini health lectures, andteatime. Activities were selected from among previous activities that received a positive response fromparticipants in previous years, and we also reviewed the activities to increase the ease of participation,for example, by choosing areas with higher traffic accessibility as hosting sites (Table 3).

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Kesennuma Regional Center – Community Support Division Activity Report
Table 3. Implementation status of Otokokatsu
1

Implementation dateJune 12, 2019

Location
Kesennuma Government Office One-Ten Government Building

2

July 10Kesennuma Resident Health Management Center, Sukoyaka

3

September 11

4

October 23

Kesennuma Government Office One-Ten Government Building
Kesennuma Government Office One-Ten Government Building5

December 11

Kesennuma Government Office One-Ten Government Building

6

January 8, 2020

Kesennuma Resident Health Management Center, Sukoyaka

7

February 12

Kesennuma Government Office One-Ten Government Building

Content
Communication Mahjong
Mini health lecture on bloodpressure
Communication Mahjong
Mini health lecture on bloodsugar
Communication Mahjong
Mini health lecture on exercise
Communication Mahjong
Mini health lecture on influenza
Communication Mahjong
Mini health lecture on alcohol
consumption
Healthy cooking
Mini health lecture on nutritionand hand washing
Communication Mahjong
Mini health lecture on bloodsugar

. Involvement in the health festival
The health festival is a project through which Kesennuma seeks to maintain and improve its citizens’ health based on the Kesennuma Health Plan 21 and the Food Education Promotion Plan. The
Center has also participated as a co-sponsoring organization.
In FY2019 as well, we prepared with the expectation of setting up a Koko Café corner for mental
health and a public awareness corner for alcohol-related problems, but the health festival was suspended due to the effects of Typhoon No. 19.
. Involvement in public awareness dissemination efforts for suicide prevention
We participated in Kesennuma’s public awareness dissemination efforts aimed at suicide prevention during suicide prevention week in September as well as during suicide countermeasures reinforcement month in March. We worked jointly with the Municipal Health Promotion Division to
exhibit panel creations and distribute public awareness material. We also cooperated with Radio
Kesennuma to transmit information along with the Center’s radio station “Sunny days, Rainy days.”
The distribution of public awareness materials was scaled back in March to avoid human contact inorder to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
. Distribution of public awareness materials for local government staff
We distributed leaflets on sleep debt in December to provide local government staff with information about mental health.
. Miscellaneous
We conducted the following activities as part of public awareness efforts targeting residents (Table 4). In addition to giving lectures, we made efforts to encourage a closer relationship with residents
by using health picture-story shows proposed and created by the Center and municipal public healthnurses. We also mixed in relaxation experiences.

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FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
Table 4. Implementation status of other public awareness activities
Implementation date
Third Monday of
every month

Third Wednesday of
every month
November 12, 2019

November 20

November 24

November 25

November 28

December 8

December 8

February 13, 2020

RequesterCenter contract project
Miyagi Prefecture Danshukai
Motoyoshi District alcohol abstinence
meetings
Miyagi Prefecture Dementia Disease
Medical Center-sponsoredDementia café KokochaWest District Health Promotion members
Motoyoshi Comprehensive Community Support Center
Dementia care family round-tableconference
Shimozawa District Resident Council
Pumpkin Porridge Association
Matsuiwa / Niitsuki Comprehensive
Community Support Center Matsuiwa dementia café
Hashikami District Health Promotion
members
Otani East District Women’s Division“Otani East District Women’s Division Workshop”
Municipal Makizawa Housing A Resident Council Establishment Preparatory Committee
Motoyoshi General Branch“Mental Health Promotion Lecture”

February 14

City Council Motoyoshi Branch“Family caregiver classroom”

March 17

Karakuwa General Branch“Mental Health Promotion Lecture”

Content
Assisted with implementation

Number of participants
4–7

Assisted with implementation as a co-sponsoring organization
Lecture titled “Let’s keep
our minds and bodies
healthy”
Lecture titled “Taking careof your feelings”

2–7 (including related parties)

Health picture-story show
and relaxation experience topromote mental health
Mini lecture on relaxation
and accompanying experience
Lecture titled “About mental
health promotion — healthy
ways to cope with stress"
Lecture to promote mental
health35

Mini lecture on stress andaccompanying experience29

Lecture titled “Dealing withanger well — toward bettersocializing"
Lecture titled “How to provide long-term care without
accumulating stress — ways
to relieve stress by yourself"
Lecture titled “Controlling
anger — What is anger management?"

29

31

12

19

15

21

20

※Suspended due to
COVID-19(2) Minamisanriku
. Alcohol-related problems countermeasures project
We performed health picture-story shows proposed and created by the Center and municipal
public health nurses for residents as part of the alcohol-related problems countermeasures projectin Minamisanriku in response to requests from municipal public health nurses.
Public awareness efforts were launched four times per year among a total of 153 local residents(Table 5).

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Kesennuma Regional Center – Community Support Division Activity Report
Table 5. Implementation status of alcohol-related problems countermeasures project
Implementation dateJune 30, 2019
September 29
February 19, 2020
February 20

Location
Hiraiso Life Center
Bayside Arena (within the Minamisanriku Welfare and
Health Festival)
Aramachi Interaction Center
Ofuna Public Hall

Number of participants
20
Approximately 106
1710

. Involvement in the Minamisanriku Welfare and Health Festival
As in FY2018, we participated in the Minamisanriku Welfare and Health Festival as an executive
committee member, opened a booth, and exhibited a panel on sleep and drinking related issues. We
also distributed non-woven fabric bags bearing the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center logo
to 476 visitors as well as relaxation balls, leaflets relating to drinking problems, and flyers relating
to sleep to 339 booth visitors to raise public awareness.
This was also our first attempt to implement health picture-story shows in the Minamisanriku Welfare and Health Festival as part of the previously mentioned alcohol-related problems countermeasures project. We enlarged and projected the picture-story show on a screen at the venue, and thereaders received the cooperation of the Minamisanriku health promotion team.
. Cooperation with the Mental Health Promotion Street Campaign
We cooperated with municipal projects to create public awareness materials and distribute themon the street as suicide prevention countermeasures during suicide countermeasure reinforcementmonth in March. We were preparing to investigate public awareness content and create material
jointly with the municipal health promotion staff, but this was suspended in order to prevent the
spread of COVID-19.
(3) Discussion
As in FY2018, we raised public awareness in Kesennuma in FY2019 through city projects, requests fromresidents’ associations, and the media. There were increased requests from residents who have roles in thecommunity (e.g., residents’ associations and health promotion staff), and we were able to conduct publicawareness activities in various areas.
In Minamisanriku, we were able to widely raise public awareness among residents by using health picture-story shows relating to alcohol problems. At the Minamisanriku Welfare and Health Festival, we
worked jointly with the Minamisanriku health promotion team. Members of the team commented that the
picture-story show made the content easy to understand, and that it was worth doing. It is thought that using
health picture-story shows and working jointly with residents was an effective method of raising publicawareness in the community.
Furthermore, we were able to advance public awareness activities related to suicide prevention countermeasures while discussing the content with the Municipal Health Promotion Division and the municipal
health promotion staff. Project implementation was either reduced in scale or suspended as part of COVID19 countermeasures, but we believe that this will be linked to future public awareness activities.
As both municipalities form new communities, it will be important for the residents themselves to havethe ability to respond to mental health for self-care and mutual supervision. We will continue to carry out
public awareness activities relating to mental health in the future in the form of the Kesennuma Health Plan
21 and the Minamisanriku Health Promotion Plan.
4. Human resource development / training(1) Kesennuma/Minamisanriku
We offered training and lectures for staff involved in victim support and staff responsible for mental
health and welfare in affected areas upon request (Table 6).

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FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
Table 6. Implementation status of human resource development and training
Implementation dateMonthly

July 18, 2019
July 30

August 21

August 28
September 4
September 12

September 20

September 20

September 30

November 7

November 7

November 12
November 22

January 29, 2020

February 17
February 20

Requester, training name, etc.

Content

Kibosha Co. Ltd.
Employment Transition Support
Office for the Disabled
HOPE GARDEN Kesennuma
Staff training
Minamisanriku Council of Social Welfare
Community welfare staff training
Kesennuma
Newly hired staff training
Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma
Health and Welfare Administrative OfficeLearning about mental illness
workshopKesennuma
Mental health training
Kesennuma
Mental health training
Miyagi Prefecture Dementia
Disease Medical Center
Dementia research meeting

SST(Social Skills Training) training

Kesennuma
Victim support staff workshop(1)
Senshinkai Employment andLiving Support Center for the
Disabled Kanae
Working support liaison meeting
Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma
Health and Welfare Administrative OfficeLearning about mental illness
workshop
Izumisatokai Community Life
Support Office Care Home Megumi staff training
Miyagi Prefecture Home Counselor Liaison Meeting Miyagi
Prefecture Counselor Liaison
Council Seiboku Block workshop
Motoyoshi Comprehensive
Community Support Center
Regular care manager meeting
Kesennuma Medical Association
Higher Nursing School Nursing
school instructor workshop
Seishinkai Kesennuma Living
Support Center for the Disabled
Consultation support liaison
meeting
Kesennuma
Victim support staff workshop(2)
Kesennuma Nursing College

Subjects (number of participants)
Staff (6-7)

Lecture on self-maintenanceStaff (16)Lecture on mental health

Staff (25)

Lecture titled “Schizophrenia —Recognizing the characteristics ofthe disease and offering support”

Health care, welfare, etc.,
supporters (115)

Lecture on mental health

Staff (50)

Lecture on mental health

Staff (14)Dialogue titled “Ask a dementia
specialist! How to think about
discrimination and prejudiceagainst the elderly”
Lecture titled “Interpersonal assistance technology — Support
methods that don’t place the burden on just the individual”
Lecture titled “About SST — thepractice edition”

Residents, medical welfare
and long-term care personnel, etc. (approximately 200)

Lecture titled “Schizophrenia —Providing support in the community”

Health care, welfare, etc.,
supporters (100)Lecture titled “Coping with stresshealthily”

Staff (15)

Activity report titled About the
Activities of the Miyagi Disaster
Mental Health Care Center

Home child counselors, etc.
(18)

Lecture titled “Finding a voice sothat users can be positive”

Care managers (7)Lecture titled “Young people’s
mental health”

Nursing school instructors(58)

Lecture titled “Understanding
consultation support case studies
and thinking about support”

Consultation support office
staff (14)Lecture titled “Mental health invictim support — Self-care on the
supporter side"
Lecture titled “Self-care fornurses’ mental health”

Victim support staff (27)

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Victim support staff (31)

Employment support office
staff (15)

Nursing students and teachers (34)Kesennuma Regional Center – Community Support Division Activity Report(2) Discussion
We had requests for further training in Kesennuma, in addition to the training programs implemented in
FY2018, and the overall number of training workshops increased in FY2019.
As in FY2018, the requestors were related institutions with whom we have a regular connection, and thecontent mostly comprised requests relating to mental health in workplaces and of the supporters themselves.
We conducted training for staff in Minamisanriku, in addition to confirming the needs of the
Minamisanriku Council of Social Welfare.
We will offer human resource development and training based on requests in the future, according to thecurrent situation in both municipalities.
5. Support for various activities(1) Kesennuma
We provided support for various activities by connecting with each organization and group that is activein the community and through venues such as NPO and non-governmental organization (NGO) liaison
meetings. On March 8, 2020, we were planning to participate in the 3rd Kesennuma Disaster Prevention
Festa, but this was postponed to observe COVID-19 countermeasures.
As in FY2018, we also cooperated in the operation of Wakachiai no Kai, which was hosted by the
NPO the Sendai Grief Care Study Group as support for bereaved families in FY2019.
(2) Discussion
We were able to grasp the local situation and issues from various perspectives by sharing information
with local organizations and participating in community activities, and we effectively linked them to thevarious projects implemented by the Center.
6. Children’s Mental Care Community Base Project(1) Resident support
As in FY2018, we continued to provide consultations for local elementary school, junior high school, andhigh school students in FY2019. The consultation content included truancy, poor adaptation to school, selfharm, poor academic performance, and domestic problems. Most consultations were done through theschool, and the number of consultation requests increased relative to FY2018.
(2) Other activities
. Implementation of mental health activities for high school students
We conducted mental health promotion activities for all 360 students and 10 instructors at Toryo
Gakuen Toryo High School in the “working group” (henceforth, “working”) by the practitioners of
the Mental Health Medical Welfare Liaison Council, which is under the jurisdiction of Kesennuma
and implemented by the public health center. We introduced health education content using skits andreferred to consultation institutions in Kesennuma. The Senshinkai Kesennuma Living Support Center for the Disabled joined the administrative office in FY2019, with four institutions managing theadministrative office (the three others are the Kusanomikai Hikarigaoka Recreation Center, the public health center, and the Center).
. Delivering health lectures at junior high school
We delivered the health lecture “Important feelings, important self,” under the theme of communication, to 52 second-year students and five instructors at Kesennuma Omose Junior High School.

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FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
. Public awareness at children’s associations
We conducted public awareness activities relating to mental health at the Ishiko Children’s
Association Christmas meeting for 27 elementary school students and ten parents by making
Christmas cards and playing with blow-up pipes.
. Cooperation with play meetings (consultations on children’s language)
We participated in play meetings at the request of the Municipal Health Promotion Division.
We made efforts to understand the development of children in the affected area and cooperated
with implementation.
(3) Discussion
With regard to individual consultations, it is thought that even for cases where the chief complaint
was truancy or poor adaptation to school, the background could often be traced directly or indirectly to
the Great East Japan Earthquake; for example, due to changes in the family situation as a result of thedisaster.
Support was provided not only for the children directly but also for their parents. This support wasoften provided in collaboration with the individual’s school or a related institution.
Consultations, which began from FY2015, were conducted at one high school every year, and wereconducted at all five high schools in both municipalities by FY2019. The number of consultations thathave been done through schools has increased every year since they began and are thought to have not
only raised public awareness about high school students’ mental health but also provided an opportunity
to collaborate with schools.
We will continue to provide individual support and make efforts to raise public awareness about mental health in collaboration with related institutions in the future.
Conclusion
This year involved extensive work, not only to support the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake
but also to improve community mental health and welfare activities in addition to the projects mentioned
so far, such as attending meetings conducted in both Kesennuma and Minamisanriku, as well as thoseof related institutions, and holding discussions with public health centers and the Miyagi Prefecture
Mental Health and Welfare Center about the post-reconstruction/creation period. We were able toachieve each activity with the cooperation and advice of local associated institutions and related parties,
including the municipalities’ administrative institutions.
We will have a limited activity period in the future, but we hope to engage in such activities while
listening to the voices of the community and returning to the basics.

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