About a hundred people currently live in the Turkivska community shelter. The same number live in the private sector in the villages.
There are 25 local residents in the community. This is a difficult-to-reach place that connects the Carpathian and Transcarpathian regions, and in a global dimension, on the way from the Baltic lands to the Mediterranean.
The city of Turka has a rather respectable age. Some historians claim that the city was founded in the 9th century as a garrison for the defense of one of the important trade routes. The first written mention dates back to 1431. It is likely that the city got its name from the aurochs, which were found in large numbers in the surrounding forests. At the end of the 16th century, the owners of the settlement built a wooden castle over the Yablunka River, surrounded on all sides by moats with water. And since 1730, Turka became a city. Trade and crafts developed, a center with a town hall and a castle was formed. Turka included the villages of Stare Selo, Sloboda, Serednya Turka, Horishnya Turka. To distinguish the city from the same name in Stanislav region (now Ivano-Frankivsk region), it was called Turka nad Stryi.
Now Turka is a small town that is slowly being revived. It is known for being home to the highest peak in the Lviv region, Mount Pikuy (1408 m).
In the project "You should know about tuberculosis" a social worker works here Tetyana Andriychyn and a phthisiologist Lubomyra Ilnytska. The residents of the shelter are mostly older people, often single. Therefore, they were not too concerned about their health, and there was also added stress from shelling at home and the need to leave. Thus, only through participation in the project "You Should Know About Tuberculosis" did one of the women learn about her oncology (screening - suspicion of tuberculosis (TB) - medical examination with CT scan - diagnosis).
For example, Ms. Svitlana, born in 1945, is an internally displaced person (IDP) from Luhansk region. In April 2022 (on Easter), a “landing” occurred in Ms. Svitlana’s yard, which damaged the house (it broke windows, damaged the roof, and broke out the door). Because of this, Ms. Svitlana was forced to live with a neighbor. But two weeks later, a “landing” also occurred in the neighbor’s yard, and Ms. Svitlana was hit by a shrapnel. The Armed Forces of Ukraine evacuated Ms. Svitlana to a hospital in Bakhmut, where her left upper limb was amputated, and in May, they evacuated Lviv (Lviv Arena), and from there she was transported to Turka.
Ms. Svitlana has no relatives: her husband died a long time ago, they had no children. She has health problems, some of which were exacerbated by trauma and stress. She has hearing problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, vision problems, mobility problems, often experiences phantom pain in her lost limb, and can only move indoors with the help of a cane. She needs 24-hour help and care in preparing food, going to the store, and taking care of the premises. Social workers organized access to medical care and medication for her in Turka - a nurse visits her once a week. Social workers also visit. The woman participated in the project "You Should Know About Tuberculosis" with a positive screening. After that, she was referred for fluorography, but tuberculosis was not confirmed, only pneumonia. In addition, Ms. Svitlana experiences constant stress, anxiety, and has problems sleeping.
According to Ms. Svitlana, help is important to her. Since she has no family, the visits and attention of a social worker and nurse are very important support.
In total, this year in the Turkivska community, screening questionnaires for TB were completed. 355 persons, of whom 177 — positive, who all underwent a medical examination and were found 9 tuberculosis cases. All received access to treatment.
The project "You Should Know About Tuberculosis" is implemented by the NGO "Social Initiatives for Occupational Health and Safety" (LHSI) with a grant from The Global Fund through Alliance for Public Health Alliance for Public Health.
