Overview of theMiyagi DisasterMental HealthCare Center

Overview of the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
Association Overview
Name:
Purpose:Established:

Miyagi Prefecture Mental Health andWelfare Association
To promote and improve the mental
health and welfare of citizens inMiyagi Prefecture1971 (opened in 1959)

Director:

Noriyuki Takashina (Shotokai
Minamihama Central Hospital Chairman)

Location:

Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

Progress of Establishing the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
A Disaster Mental Health Care Center was required as a base to provide long-term support to victimsfor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol-related problems, suicides, and other mental
health problems caused by the disaster; and to support medical care and community life for people withmental illness. Miyagi Prefecture inquired about establishing a center, and, following active efforts from theAssociation, it was 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) established・April 2012 – Ishinomaki Regional Center and Kesennuma Regional Center established
Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center system
Numberof staff:

55 (43 full-time, 12 part-time) as of March31, 2021
Kesennuma
City

Professions:

psychiatrists, psychiatric social workers, psychologists,public health nurses, nurses,and so forth.

Kurihara
City

Minamisanriku
Town
Tome City

Osaki City

Kami Town

WakuyaTown
Shikama Town

Locations(activityareas):● Stem Center [Aoba Ward, Sendai City]○ Activity areas (Shiogama District, Iwanuma
District, inland areas)● Ishinomaki Regional Center [Ishinomaki City]○ Activity areas (Ishinomaki District)● Kesennuma Regional Center [Kesennuma City]○ Activity areas (Kesennuma District andIchinoseki District (evacuation destination))

Ishinomaki
City

Ohira Village
Taiwa
Town

Osato
Town

Matsu
shima
Town

Onagawa
Town

Higashimatsus
hima CityTomiya
City
Rifu
Town
Sendai City

TagajoCity

Shiogama
City
Shichigahama
Town

Kawasaki
Town
Natori
City
Zao
Town

MurataTown
Shibata
Town

OgawaraTown
Shichikashu
ku Town

Shiroishi
City

KakudaCityMarumori
Town

IwanumaCity

WatariTown

Yamamoto
TownKesennuma Regional Center
Ishinomaki Regional Center
Stem CenterMiyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center Organization chartPresident

Ishinomaki Regional
Center DirectorAdvisor

Kesennuma Regional CenterDirector

Vice President

Kesennuma Regional
Center Advisor(concurrent) ExecutiveDirector

Planning and Research
Department Director

General Affairs Division

Planning and Research
Division

Planning and Research
Department Director

Stem Center Community
Support Division-3-Ishinomaki Regional Center
Community Support
Division

Kesennuma Regional Center Community
Support Division

Key principle:
To improve community mental health and welfare in disaster areas
Basic policy of activities:(1) Resident support activities centered on outreach in collaboration with municipalities.
(2) Multifaceted support for supporters, such as consulting and mental health.
(3) Implementation of “seamless support from children to adults.”(4) Community mental health support activities tailored to affected municipalities.
(5) Summary of activities that contribute to future measures against large-scale natural disasters.
Primary activities:
We consider all residents of Miyagi Prefecture who were psychologically affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake as targets of mental health care. We are engaged in support projects according to the unique conditionsof the community, so that citizens of the prefecture can soon live peacefully.
Counseling and support with the aimof preventing mental illness andimproving mental health for disastervictims

Resident
supportDissemination of informationand public awareness ofmental healthResearch to prepare for new disasters
in collaboration with the Departmentof Preventive Psychiatry of theTohoku University Graduate Schoolof Medicine and others

Raising publicawarenessSupport for
supporters

Research

Humanresource
development

Support for supporters such as
municipal staff and supporters for
temporary housing with the aim ofmaintaining mental health activities
as well as physical and mental health

Dissemination of knowledge andtraining for professionals andsupporters involved in mental healthSupport forvariousactivities

Co-sponsorship / assistance, etc., withthe aim of supporting activities incooperation with various support groups
operating in the prefecture■Characteristics of initiatives:• We conduct activities that meet the needs of the community, with a focus on support provided by the healthand welfare departments of local governments, as well as disaster victim support staff.
• Multiple professionals transcend the boundaries of their professions and work as a team.

-4-Activity results
We have responded to the community’s needs, including the following: Health surveys of tenants in emergency (containertype) temporary housing / apartment-type rental housing and public housing situated in Miyagi Prefecture; support for individuals
who required follow-up based various health survey results conducted in municipalities; professional advice regarding support
for difficult resident cases; mental health support for exhausted administrative staff and supporters (such as supporters fortemporary housing); and support to supplement the shortage of professional human resources in municipalities.
*Emergency (container-type) temporary housing is hereinafter referred to as “emergency housing,” and apartment-type rentalhousing as “private rental housing.”*Tabulation work is conducted using our own business statistics system. In cases where a response was provided by multiple
staff members, the same activity is tabulated as a single case.

[Resident support]
9000

6000
Interview counseling
Telephone counseling

3000

0

Resident support (total number of cases)
Fiscalyear

Interview counseling(number of times)
Telephone counseling(number of times)

2012（H24）

2013（H25）

2014（H26）

2015（H27）

2016（H28）

2017（H29）

2018（H30）

2019（R１）

2020（R２）

4,492

4,926

5,569

5,921

4,828

4,990

4,419

4,047

3,793

1,945

1,310

1,566

1,668

1,843

2,131

1,947

1,917

2,398

Health surveys of tenants in emergency and/or private rental and public housing situated in Miyagi Prefecture,
support for individuals who required follow-up based on various health survey results conducted inmunicipalities, etc.
[Raising public awareness]
800

600

4,545people

3,526people6,000

4,511
people3,814
people3,489
people3,673
people3,466
people3,173
people1,086
people

4,000

400

200

396 times

378 times

399 times

379 times

405 times

415 times

295 times

2,000
337 times

97 times00

Number of times

Number of participants

Raising public awarenessFiscalyear
Number of times(count)Number ofparticipants (people)

2012（H24）

2016（H28）

2017（H29）

2018（H30）

2019（R１）

97

2013（H25）
295

2014（H26）
396

2015（H27）
378

379

399

405

415

337

3,526

3,489

4,545

4,511

3,814

3,673

3,466

3,173

1,086

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

-5-2020（R２）[Support for supporters]
2000

1000

0

Support for supporters

Fiscal year
Number oftimes (count)2012（H24） 2013（H25） 2014（H26） 2015（H27） 2016（H28） 2017（H29） 2018（H30） 2019（R１） 2020（R２）
1,052
1,862
1,915
1,606
1,549
1,492
1,390
1,183839

Support for supporters such as municipal staff and supporters for temporary housing, aimed at maintaining
mental health activities as well as physical and mental health.
[Human resource development]
800

10,000
8,000

600

6,000
400
4,000
200
2,00000

Number of times

Number of participants

Human resource development

Fiscal year

2012（H24）

2018（H30）

2019（R１）

Number of times(count)

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

Number ofparticipants(people)2013（H25） 2014（H26）

2015（H27） 2016（H28） 2017（H29）

2020（R２）

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 for addiction-related problems, etc.

-6-Characteristics of each Center
Stem Center

Ishinomaki Regional Center

Oversees municipalities in the Shiogama HealthCenter and Iwanuma Branch areas. Addresses issues
according to individual reconstruction situations andneeds while sharing issues with municipalities andhealth centers.。

The entire area is affected by the disaster. Buildinga system to directly support residents and a support
system through stronger cooperation between
supporters is becoming an urgent issue, alongsidechanges such as relocating to public housing.。

● The number of requests for assistance frommothers with mental health problems is increasing,and we are conducting accompanying visits andinterviews with municipal officials.
● There is a need for advice on difficult cases inmunicipalities, and our participation in case study
meetings and support meetings is needed.

● The way collaborations with health centers andmunicipalities will be conducted was summarized asa plan, direct support was provided to residents, andhealth centers will play a central role in building asystem to aid supporters.
● Deepen communication in the area throughpractice, such as hosting workshops in collaboration
with health centers and municipalities.

Kesennuma Regional Center
The entire area is affected by the disaster. There
was a shortage of professionals involved in mental
health care since before the earthquake, and this has
been exacerbated after the earthquake. This Center isrecognized as an institution that can manage
individual counseling for residents, and the numberof consultations remains high.
● The number of individual consultations haveincreased for children and working aged people intheir 20s to 40s.
● Consultation contents are often multifaceted andcomplicated, and continuous support is required.

Children’s Mental Health Care Community Base Project from FY2016 to FY2020 (number of cases)
Fiscal year

2016

2017 2018

2019

2020

① Consultation
project

Consultations

230

281

330

373

431

② Professional
dispatch

Number of times

234

266

309

229

262

③ Training project

Number of times

4351

4047

31

④ Dissemination /public awarenessproject

Number of times

42

3

20

4

Cooperating with dissemination of information in pamphlets andpublic relations magazines on children’s mental health, salons, etc.

⑤ Research project

Research22

11

9

4

Children’s Cohort Study-7-Visits, walk-ins, telephone counseling for children, family,supporters
Child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, etc., dispatched tomunicipalities, schools, nursery centers, etc.
Holding workshops; dispatching instructors to training conductedby municipalities, nursery centers, etc.