From energy autonomy to psychological support: Rokada completed a project to improve medical services in the Yampil community
A project, aimed at strengthening the resilience of the healthcare system in conditions of war, completed Rokada in the Yampil community in Sumy region. The team succeeded to strengthen the energy autonomy of the local hospital, increase the competence of medical workers in work with vulnerable people and improve the awareness of residents regarding psychological support and available social services.
Within the project, succeeded to equip the community hospital with 82 solar panels with a total capacity of 50 kW.
“From now on, the volume of produced electricity completely covers the necessary needs of the hospital in electricity supply. This allows the medical institution to work even during prolonged blackouts,” – explains the project coordinator Valentyna Ihnatusha.
For the hospital, energy autonomy is directly connected also with the opportunity to ensure the continuity of providing medical care.
“For our hospital, energy resilience is, first of all, an opportunity to continuously provide medical care to people even in conditions of prolonged disruptions with electricity supply. The installation of solar panels significantly strengthened the energy autonomy of the institution. This is important both for the stable operation of the hospital and for the safety of our patients,” – says the director of the Yampil hospital Nataliia Rodinka.
At the same time, the resilience of the medical institution depends not only on its technical capability. It is important that medical workers have the necessary knowledge and skills for work with people who are experiencing the consequences of the war. That is why for the staff of the Yampil hospital Rokada organized four trainings on communications with vulnerable people, on psychological support and prevention of professional burnout.
“Medics often work not only with a person who has a health problem, but also with a patient who has experienced shelling, loss, forced displacement, prolonged fear or exhaustion. Sometimes a correctly formulated question, a calm explanation of what will happen now, or a simple phrase of support can significantly change how a person will survive the stay in the hospital,” — explains the psychologist of the fund Yuliia Sirenko.
During the trainings, attention was paid not only to interaction with patients, but also to the psychological state of the medical workers themselves, who work in conditions of constant danger, stress and high workload.
“Through practical situations and exercises, medics saw that many elements of psychological support can be used in ordinary interaction with a patient: to listen, not to devalue, to help to orient oneself, to notice a person’s needs and offer help correctly,” – continues the psychologist of Rokada.
“Trainings on communication were very relevant for us. The obtained knowledge doctors will be able to apply in daily work, improving communication and preventing barriers during interaction with people,” — adds Nataliia Rodinka.
At the same time, the project united the residents of the community for five information sessions, during which those interested learned about available social services and opportunities for receiving psychological support.
“Our team developed a guide on providing emergency psychological help during acute stress reactions, which contains practical recommendations for response,” — notes explains the psychologist of the fund Yuliia Sirenko.
In general, the project allowed to strengthen the resilience of the community at once in several directions – from the energy autonomy of the medical institution to the professional skills of medics and the awareness of residents.
“Specialists of Rokada significantly increased the resilience of the healthcare system of the Yampil community, – concludes Valentyna Ihnatusha. – The strengthened energy system helps the hospital to remain functional during disruptions with electricity supply, medical workers use the acquired knowledge in daily work, and residents of the community received more information and tools for receiving psychological and social support.”
The project Strengthening the resilience of the Yampil community through energy autonomy of the hospital and increasing the competence of staff and the community in work with vulnerable groups embodies the Charitable Fund Rokada within the limits of the project Capable and Strong: Sumy, which is implemented by East Europe Foundation.
