APA Foundation Grant Supports MH Resource Translations in Ukraine

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According to the United Nations, as of August 12, over 6.6 million people remained displaced within Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion, and there are an estimated 6.3 million refugees across Europe.

“These are people who have had to leave their homes and everything behind in a desperate attempt to escape death and destruction,” the United Nations said in a May news release. “They are traumatized and need urgent protection, including psychosocial support.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S.-based nonprofit Languages of Care has been working to support mental health professionals on the ground with translations of high-quality, evidence-based mental health and emotional wellness documents. The APA Foundation recently awarded Languages of Care a $20,000 multiyear grant from its Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund to support this work and ensure survivors have access to resources to support their mental and emotional well-being.

Languages of Care was launched in response to the uprising in Belarus two years ago, said co-founder, CEO, and Chief Medical Officer Sander Kofyman, M.D., M.B.A. Koyfman is also the chief medical officer at Athena Psych, a clinic in New York City, and is the immediate past president of Disaster Psychiatry Outreach, now a part of Vibrant Emotional Health.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the organization jumped in to help. Koyfman and his team realized that there is a wealth of available information on trauma and disaster response in English from credible sources—such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University—that can be translated into other languages to help people directly impacted by disasters. Languages of Care’s volunteers began translating these vital documents into Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, and Romanian. Each document goes through a clinical review during the translation process, as well.

“Within three weeks, we grew from six volunteer translators to over 160,” Koyfman said. “It has been an incredible response. Some of our volunteers are in Ukraine and other countries of former Soviet influence. They’ve done the enormous job of translating these materials and working with our clinicians to ensure the documents have the most accurate clinical and cultural representation possible.”

Web links to the documents have been sent to thousands of therapists practicing on the ground, and printouts have been distributed to over 30,000 evacuees by Languages of Care’s partner organization, Ukraine Friends.

Koyfman said that Languages of Care is working to expand, translating documents into multiple languages so the organization can pivot rapidly and respond wherever disasters occur. They are working on a “go kit,” which will have a core set of essential documents available almost immediately when the need arises anywhere in the world. Recently, the organization partnered with Respond Crisis Translation Team to expand its language portfolio by adding French and Haitian Creole to respond to the need in Haiti.

Typically, in response to disasters, organizations work together to support victims and ensure they have housing, food, and other critical necessities, said APA Foundation Executive Director Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq. “But all too often, mental and behavioral health care are left out, even for those who are directly in harm’s way.” The APA Foundation is proud to work with organizations like Languages of Care to help to fill this gap and grow awareness to these critical needs in times of crisis, he said.

“I cannot emphasize enough how important and inspiring it is that the APA Foundation has recognized our effort and become the first foundation to support us,” Koyfman said. “This grant is enormously impactful. It will help maintain our momentum and allow us to build this into something that we can sustain as we are building our team of multilingual clinical reviewers.”

The APA Foundation was connected with Languages of Care through Joshua Morganstein, M.D., chair of the APA Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters. Koyfman said the Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters has helped Languages of Care identify the documents that should be included in the go kit, as well.

“Delivering mental health resources directly to the people of Ukraine in their own native language is tremendously important work,” said Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., APA CEO and medical director and chair of the APA Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The APA Foundation’s grant to Languages of Care will have a direct impact on those in need and ensure they have access to evidence-based, culturally sensitive resources.”

There are numerous ways psychiatrists can get involved with Languages of Care, Koyfman said. Donations are always needed, and clinicians with trauma and crisis expertise can also provide input on what documents should be included in the go kit. Additionally, anyone with college-level reading and writing expertise in a foreign language can contribute by proofreading documents that have been translated, as each document must be proofread by a practicing clinician. According to the Languages of Care website, there is an urgent need for clinicians with Polish/English and French/English proficiency.

“Trauma, isolation, and stigma are all worsened by the inability to communicate effectively,” Andrews said. “When Languages of Care steps in with support from organizations like the APA Foundation, they’re able to reach people who are directly impacted when they are experiencing the greatest need so they do not need a translator. They can receive help directly in a language they understand.” ■