Activity Report of the Community Support Division, Kesennuma
Regional Center
The activities of the Kesennuma Regional Center (“Division”) in FY 2021 in the areas affected by the Great East
Japan Earthquake were in Kesennuma City and Minamisanriku Town, under the jurisdiction of the Kesennuma Public
Health Center.
【Resident support project】
For resident support in FY 2021, we received consultations on mental health from children to older adults andprovided support at the request of individuals, family members, and related individuals.
1.

Consultation support project (establishment of mental health counseling service booths)
At the request of schools, we opened counseling rooms for students, their families, and teaching staff, to promotemental health and prevent mental illness.
Student counseling booth, Nursing School, Kesennuma City Hospital (held 20 times, total number of people: 29)
Student counseling booth, Nursing School, Kesennuma Medical Association (held 17 times, total number of people: 4)

2. Local resident exchange project(1) Support project for socially isolated residents (enrichment activity for men)
We provided time for lectures and activities on health for men who tended to be socially isolated and whose mental
health may be declining, with the aim of improving and promoting mental health. Events were co-sponsored by theHealth Promotion Division of the Health and Welfare Department of Kesennuma City (henceforth, “City HealthPromotion Division”). We asked related departments (community comprehensive support center, Elder Care Division,
Social Welfare Division, Karakuwa General Branch, Motoyoshi General Branch), medical institutions, andconsultation organizations in Kesennuma City for their cooperation in reaching out to the target population. We plannedto hold seven sessions a year, but the seventh session was canceled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic (held six times,
with a total of 18 participants).
【Support for supporters project】
1. Professional staff dispatch
We dispatched one staff member four times a week to the City Health Promotion Division and the Health Promotion
Section of Minamisanriku Town’s Health and Welfare Division (“Town Health Promotion Section”). Efforts weremade to reduce the workload of local public health nurses by assisting in their work.
2. Supporters’ mental health support project(1) Health counseling service booth for Kesennuma City staff (opening of mental health counseling service booth)A health counseling service booth for local government employees was opened in Kesennuma City Hall on the third
Wednesday of every month from 10:00 to 16:00 (total number of people who used the service: 29). In opening thebooth, we provided support in collaboration with the Personnel Division of the General Affairs Department ofKesennuma City.
(2) Health counseling service booth for Minamisanriku Town staff (opening of mental health counseling service booth)A health counseling service booth for local government employees was opened on the third Wednesday of every
month from 14:00 to 19:00 (total number of people who used the service: 18). In opening the booth, we provided
support in collaboration with the General Affairs Division of Minamisanriku Town.
3. Supporters’ mental health promotion support project
We received requests from and provided training and lectures for staff involved in disaster victim support and staff
overseeing mental health and welfare in affected areas (Table 1).
Table 1. Supporters’ mental health promotion support projects
Implementation
dateApril 2, 2021
April 16, 2021

Hostmunicipality

Kesennuma
CityTraining title/content

Numberof times

Number ofparticipants

228

In-hospital training
for new recruits atMitsumine Hospital“Deepening ourunderstanding ofmental disorders”−34−

Requester

Utsushikawatetsujinkai
Mitsumine HospitalApril 7, 2021–
March 2, 2022

Kesennuma
City

Social Skills Training(SST)for staff
belonging to Hope
Garden kesennnuma

22126

Employment Transition
Support Office for
Persons with Disabilities
Co. Ltd., Hope Garden
Kesennuma

Minamisanriku Town
Social WelfareMinamisanriku
Minamisanriku Town
Council staff training
July 14, 2021
45TownSocial Welfare Council“Let’s be better atcommunicating”
Training for longterm care certified
surveyors“How to maintainKesennuma
July 16, 2021
10
Kesennuma City
self-care on a dailyCitybasis: Preventing
mental and physicalfatigue”
Care Home Megumi
Senrikai Communal
staff workshop
November 25,
Kesennuma
15
Living Support Office,“Listening to the2021
City
Care Home Megumi
story”
Minamisanriku Town
Social Welfare
December 15,
Minamisanriku Council staff training
Minamisanriku Town
44
“Let’s be better at
2021
Town
Social Welfare Councilcommunicating”
Assertion edition
First “Learning about
mental illness”
Kesennuma
workshop for
December 22,
City77
Kesennuma Public
2021
Minamisanriku supporters in health,*1
Health Center
medical care, andTown
welfareSocial Skills
January 24,
Koeru
Kesennuma
Training(SST) for
2022–March 28,
417
Employment SupportCity
staff belonging to2022
Center Train
Train and user
Second “Learning
about mental illness”
January 25,
Kesennuma
workshop for
28
Kesennuma Public
2022
Citysupporters in health,*2Health Center
medical care, andwelfare
Kesennuma City staff
training
January 28,Kesennuma
1,700
Kesennuma City
“Harassment2022City*3prevention training”*1 The number of participants includes those who participated online at the Minamisanriku Town venue in addition to
those who participated at the Kesennuma City venue.
*2 Online training for each audience member.
*3 The number of participants includes online participants as well as participants at the venue.
【Public awareness campaign project】
1. Resident mental health public awareness promotion project(1) Various municipal activity support projects① Cooperation with “Public awareness initiative for suicide prevention”
We co-sponsored the public awareness initiative for suicide prevention conducted by Kesennuma City during
Suicide Prevention Week in September and Suicide Prevention Strengthening Month in March. We conducted panel
exhibitions and distributed public awareness materials in collaboration with the City Health Promotion Division.

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During the period, we cooperated with the Kesennuma City radio station “Radio Kesennuma” to transmit
information on suicide prevention in the program.
We cooperated in the creation and exhibition of public awareness materials on suicide prevention thatMinamisanriku Town conducted during Suicide Prevention Strengthening Month in March. We were co-sponsors
with Minamisanriku Town during Suicide Countermeasures Strengthening Month in March and distributed publicawareness materials as part of public awareness activities relating to suicide prevention.
② Other training projects
We cooperated in lectures given by local governments to community residents, and we aimed to spread
understanding and knowledge about mental health (Table 2).
Table 2. Various municipal activity support projects
Implementation
dateOctober 12,
2021
December 17,
2021

Hostmunicipality
Kesennuma
CityKesennuma
City

December 17,
2021

Kesennuma
CityMarch 14,2022

Kesennuma
City

Training name / content

Number ofparticipants

Hashikami district health promotion staff training,“Let's handle stress well”
FY 2021 Mental health promotion lecture(Motoyoshi district), “To protect the life of those
close to you: Recognize it early–stress and mental
illness”
FY 2021 Mental health promotion lecture(Karakuwa District), “Hints for staying calm:Communication and stress care”
FY 2021 Mental health promotion lecture(Kesennuma District), “Hints for staying calm:
Communication and stress care”

1833

Requester
Kesennuma
City
Kesennuma
City26

KesennumaCity

12

KesennumaCity(2) Support for health festivals
At the Health Promotion Festival that was sponsored by Kesennuma City, we exhibited posters and distributed
public awareness materials on mental health and drinking-related problems to maintain and improve the mental andphysical health of local residents.
We were planning to participate in the Minamisanriku Town Welfare and Health Festival as an executive committee
member, and we were preparing to conduct activities to raise public awareness of mental health among local residents.
However, the public awareness activities were canceled on the day owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(3) Lectures
We held training and lectures for local residents to deepen their understanding of mental health (Table 3).

Implementationdate
May 7, 2021

Hostmunicipality
Kesennuma
City

Table 3. Lectures
Training name / content

Number ofparticioants

Drug abuse prevention class
lecture, “What is self-harm?”

260

August 24,
2021–February
22, 2022

Kesennuma
City

Health lectures 4times

29September 8,
2021

Kesennuma
City8

October 12,2021

Kesennuma
City

Kesennuma City Gas and Water
Workers Union youth and women’s
study meeting, “About mentalhealth”
Café for dementia patients/Shishiori
exchange meeting, “How tomaintain mental health”

October 25,
2021

Kesennuma
CityJunior high school health lecture,“Confusing friendships in thesecond year of junior high school”

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1464

RequesterMotoyoshi Hibiki
High School,
Miyagi Prefecture
Municipal
Makizawa
Housing District
A
Kesennuma City
Gas and Water
Workers Union
Shishiori andKarakuwa
communitycomprehensive
support center,
Kesennuma City
Omose JuniorHigh School,
Kesennuma City

November 12,
2021

Kesennuma
City

Dementia roundtableconference,Sansan café “How tomaintain mental health”

9

November 16,
2021

Kesennuma
City14

February 14,
2022

Kesennuma
City
Minamisanriku
Town

Drug abuse prevention classlecture, “Status of drug dependence
and crisis avoidance”
Kesennuma Motoyoshi District
High School student guidanceteachers training, “Cooperation
between schools and mental healthcare: Experience from our Center”

February 25,
2022

Kesennuma
City

Third-year lecture, “How tocommunicate”

60

February 28,
2022

KesennumaCity

Pre-graduation lecture, “Self-carefor the mental health of nurse”

33

100Shishiori andKarakuwa
community
comprehensive
support center,
Kesennuma City
Kesennuma HighSchool, Miyagi
Prefecture
Kesennuma
Motoyoshi
District HighSchool Student
Guidance Liaison
Council
Kesennuma City
Jonan Junior HighSchoolNursing School,
Kesennuma City
Hospital

2. Public relations project(1) Posting columns in Sanriku Shimpo
We posted the column “Sanriku Mental Health Communication” once a month, in collaboration with theKesennuma Health and Welfare Office, Miyagi Prefecture, in the local newspaper Sanriku Shimpo, which is amonthly subscription mainly in Kesennuma City, with the aim of providing information on mental health to residents.
The posted contents matched the local circumstances and covered topics relating to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
As the Division will end its activities by 2025, the postings were reduced from six times to four times in FY 2021.
The September 2021 publication of “What you can do to prevent suicide” and the March 2022 publication of “Ontaking in March 11,” which were overseen by the Division, were prepared jointly by the City Health Promotion
Division and Town Health Promotion Section.
(2) Dissemination of information through radio
We disseminated information with Radio Kesennuma with the aim of informing a wide range of residents on how
to maintain their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
【Summary, future prospects, and issues】
With an eye toward the end of activities in FY 2025 based on the MDMHCC’s Second Operation Plan, in FY 2021,
we shared information on issues in the area, and we regularly held meetings with related organizations (Kesennuma
Public Health Center, Mental Health and Welfare Center) as a forum for examining future mental health care in thecommunity. Mental health care meetings (study meetings on mental health care), sponsored by the Kesennuma Public
Health Center, were held as a forum for exchanging opinions with local governments regarding the mental health caresystem in the area from FY 2021 onwards. In preparation for hosting the event in FY 2021 as well, we discussed what
we could do regarding the local issues raised by local governments in FY 2020 with related organizations (Kesennuma
Public Health Center, Mental Health and Welfare Center). Given that it is necessary to exchange detailed opinions withlocal governments regarding future efforts, we requested each local government division to hold meetings, with theKesennuma Public Health Center and the Division conducting visits and explanations at these meetings. Owing to theCOVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to host mental health care meetings (study meetings on mental health care), but
we will continue to do so from FY 2022. Additionally, we dispatched Division staff to local government divisions andprovided operational support to the local governments throughout the year.
In FY 2021, the Kesennuma Public Health Center had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the local
governments had to increase their vaccination work against COVID-19. The Division’s projects could not be
implemented as planned. However, we were able to support local governments together with the Kesennuma Public
Health Center and the Mental Health and Welfare Center with the goal of improving community mental health andwelfare activities.
In FY 2022, we plan to strengthen cooperation while diligently sharing schedules for the completion of activities
and the status of Division activities with the related organizations in the region. We intend to strengthen cooperation
and work on the three projects: (1) resident support, (2), support for supporters, and (3) public awareness campaigns.
We aim to continue working toward the termination and handover of the projects to related institutions.

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