As people celebrated Coming of Age Ceremonies all around Japan, “Kokoro-no Care” team held a very special symposia at Fukushima Medical University and simultaneously broadcasted to four satellite locations. Symposia began with an encouraging video message from Dr. Phil Landrigan, Dean for Global Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He set a warm and sympathetic atmosphere in the auditorium filled with Disaster Relief Supporters from all over Japan and US.

Dr. Craig Katz, a world expert in building Global Disaster Mental Health Programs gave one of the most substantive lectures on Disaster Psychiatry. Symposia continued with lessons learned from Great Hanshin Earthquake by Dr. Hiroshi Kato and Great Sichuan Earthquake by Dr. Eizaburo Tanaka centering on Traumatic Stress. Dr. Robert Yanagisawa summarized various international disaster relief actions to date and Dr. Shunichi Homma discussed coordination of international support with a future vision. Dr. Tom Hedberg proposed use of web based medical information resources for both relief supporters as well as disaster victims. Program concluded with a report of current state of mental healthcare in coastal Fukushima area from Dr. Hirooki Yabe of Fukushima Medical University.

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With a strong leadership, Dr. Shin-Ichi Niwa’s program draws supporters from all over Japan who come on weekly or monthly basis from as far south as Okinawa and as far north as Hokkaido. Japan Society of NY has recently approved a significant 3-year grant to JMSA to help build a similar program in Iwate region. Americare is very interested in building another well coordinated program in Miyagi region. The Fukushima program is destined to become a new outreach healthcare model that would benefit not only Soma region, but the entire North East Japan.

Click here to view the symposium program.