JMSA Disaster Relief News

New! International Symposia in Fukushima 

Kokoro no Care Mental Health Program
Reception for Japanese Delegates of Pediatric Mental Health Care Organizations
Before the Snow: Japan Earthquake Disaster Relief 5K Run/Walk
Kokoro no Care Newspaper Article in Japanese
JMSA Recognized by First Lady of Japan
Disaster Relief Benefit Concert: Oct. 14thDealing with Disaster Symposium: Oct. 5th
Medical Volunteer Experience in East Japan Earthquake Relief
Marathon for Japan Relief
Reports from the Front Lines: 1, 2, 3, and 4

Dear JMSA members and friends, 

The JMSA would like to express our gratitude for your generous donations to the JMSA Japan Relief Fund.  Thanks to your kind support, we have raised $170,000 to benefit rebuilding efforts in northern Japan.  JMSA is sending 100% of donations to Kokoro no Care (“care for the feelings”), a community mental health treatment program led by Professor Niwa of the Department of Neuropsychiatry at Fukushima Medical University (FMU).  The goal of Kokoro no Care is to create multidisciplinary satellite mental health care units to serve towns where existing clinics have been closed due to the disaster.  We are very impressed with this program and believe that it will make a meaningful, long-term impact in areas affected by the earthquake.  

During the past few months, the JMSA and Kokoro no Care have been recognized for excellence by several organizations.  On 7/21/2011, JMSA was represented at the US-Japan Cooperation meeting held at the UN among 50 invited participants from some 30 major US–Japan NPO and NGO Foundations.  Delegates unanimously agreed that long-term projects are needed to help people in northern Japan get back on their feet, and mental health was raised as one of the key elements.  The JMSA project seemed to represent an ideal model and received many praises from other delegates.  JMSA has also recently been chosen to receive a generous grant from the Japan Society over the next 3 years to continue our collaborative project to help Fukushima (http://www.japansociety.org/fund_recipients). 

JMSA will continue to collaborate and support mental health care in northern Japan with the help of our core network groups including Mount Sinai Global Health, Columbia University, Fukushima Medical University, JAMSnet Tokyo, JAMSnet NY, Noveida Group, Rotary Club, and Japan Society. 

If you would like to donate to Kokoro no Care through the JMSA Japan Relief Fund, please click on the PayPal button below. (For more information about Kokoro no Care, click here.)  We really appreciate your generous support!

100% of donations^* will be sent to the area. The JMSA does not retain any administrative fees. ^*Paypal requires a nominal fee for credit card processing for non-profit organizations. No special fees are assessed for check processing.

Alternatively, you can send a check to our office:

JMSA
100 Park Avenue, Rm 1600
New York, NY 10017.

Please indicate “Japan Disaster Relief Fund” in the memo section of the check.
Thank you for your consideration.

Makoto Iwahara, M.D.
President, JMSA

The Japanese Medical Society of America, Inc. (JMSA) is a tax exempt organization with Federal Tax ID#23-7383500.  It is exempt under the following Internal Revenue Code sections: 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1), 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) - 2055, 2106 or 2522

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.

Dr. Luis J. Fujimoto has been appointed Vice President of the Osseointegration Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.  Congratulations to Dr. Fujimoto!