The 17th Mental Health Center in the RETURNING Network Begins Operations at a National Guard of Ukraine Medical Facility

Victor and Olena Pinchuk continue to expand the nationwide RETURNING (Ukr. «ПОВЕРНЕННЯ») network of mental health centers. The new RETURNING center, established jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine at one of the National Guard’s medical facilities, is the 17th center in the network.

The RETURNING mental health center will provide professional psychiatric and psychological care to service members experiencing the psychological consequences of war. Particular attention will be given to those admitted to the center immediately after being released from captivity. At this stage, it is essential to provide a safe environment, a professional assessment of their condition and timely support following the traumatic experiences they have endured.  

Each year, nearly 500 service members will be able to receive inpatient care at the center, which will also provide more than 3,000 consultations.

The center was made possible through cooperation between RETURNING, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine. It represents another systematic contribution by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to supporting service members, veterans and their families who need professional care after their wartime experiences.

“Cooperation with the National Guard of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs allows us to bring support closer to those undergoing recovery and reintegration after captivity. At this center, we sought to create world-class conditions: a barrier-free, state-of-the-art space where service members can receive professional care that respects their experiences and is free from stigma. “We continue to expand our cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs so that these opportunities become available to even more of Ukraine’s defenders and their families,” said Svitlana Grytsenko, Head of the RETURNING project

The RETURNING mental health center is a modern and inclusive space for support and recovery, created for service members who require specialized psychiatric and psychological care. 

With funding from RETURNING, the premises underwent a major renovation and were transformed into a modern mental health center. The center includes rooms for individual, group, art and biosuggestive therapy; a reception area; a 24-hour nurses’ station; a visitor waiting area; inpatient rooms with accessible bathrooms; and staff facilities.

Inna Yashchuk, State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, emphasized that the center was made possible through effective cooperation between the state and socially responsible businesses.

“The mental health center’s professionals work with everyone undergoing rehabilitation, and that is immensely valuable. The Ministry of Internal Affairs places considerable emphasis on providing comprehensive support to Ukraine’s defenders—all those serving across the Ministry’s agencies who protect the country every day and help maintain peace and security.”

A multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, nurses and nursing assistants works with defenders and their families. The team addresses, among other issues, the effects of stress, anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment and psychosomatic difficulties, as well as psychotic conditions.

The center is equipped with everything required both for the professionals’ work and for visitors’ recovery. This includes the Shiftwave System for psychological relaxation and stress management, an EMDR therapy kit, art therapy materials, psychological assessment tools, computer and multimedia equipment, and professional literature for specialists.

“Service members, particularly those who have returned from captivity, often need more than a one-time consultation—they need long-term, comprehensive recovery support. The consequences of severe traumatic experiences cannot be fully addressed in two or three weeks. That is why we combine psychiatric care, psychological support and modern instrumental methods that help to more accurately assess a person's condition and increase the effectiveness of treatment. Our task is to find an approach to each person and create the most effective recovery path for them," said Ihor Slobodian, head of the RETURNING center.

As of today, 17 centers of the RETURNING network, founded by Viktor and Olena Pinchuka, operate in Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv and in Kyiv Oblast, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, as well as on the basis of one of the medical institutions of the National Guard of Ukraine. More than 25,000 military personnel, veterans and their family members are assisted at the network's centers.

At the first stage of the RETURNING project, it is planned to open at least 25 such centers throughout Ukraine, which will be able to provide assistance to more than 100,000 military personnel, veterans and their family members every year.