Ohio Department of Mental Health

1. Ohio Department of Mental Health PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS DURING DISASTER AND TRAGEDY EVENTS Joseph W. Hill, M.S. Ed., Chief Office Disaster Service Initiatives

2. A disaster or tragedy event is: “ an occurrence such as a tornado, flood, earthquake, explosion, hazardous material accident, war, transportation accident, fire, famine, or epidemics that causes human suffering or creates collective human need that requires assistance to alleviate”. Maybe natural or human caused.

3. Natural Disasters Causes Examples of natural disasters Blame Scope Post Disaster Distress Forces of nature Severe Storm, floods, tornadoes, No one, acts of God Various High

4. Human Caused Disasters Causes Examples Blame Scope Post disaster Stress Human or technology errors, purposeful act Plane crash, Terrorism Biological, Chemical Person, government or a business localized or broad, little advance warning Very High

5. Key Concepts Of Disaster Mental Health No one is untouched by it Individual Trauma Community/Collective Trauma Diminished effectiveness Normal response /abnormal situation Assistance is often confusing

6. Key Concepts of Disaster Mental Health Non -traditional approach and methods Active genuine interest and concern. Intervention must be appropriate Social support systems are crucial

7. Groups Most Vulnerable Children Elderly Severely Mentally ill Recent Health Problems Prior unresolved trauma

8. Groups Most Vulnerable Recently Divorced/Widowed Lower socio-economic status Refugees/recent immigrants Cultural and Ethnic Groups Single Persons

9. Cultural Awareness and Disaster Mental Health Services CULTURAL SENSITIVITY CULTURAL DIVERSITY CULTURAL COMPETENCY Cultural Competence is a continuous learning process that builds knowledge, awareness, skills and capacity to identify, understand and respect the unique beliefs, values, customs, languages, abilities and traditions of all Ohioans

10. Avoiding the Crisis of Planning “Next week there can’t be any crisis. My schedule is already full”. - Henry Kissinger. While secretary of state.

11. DISASTER PLANNING

12. Roles And Response To Disaster Local MH Board/Agencies State Mental Health Authority Federal Assistance (FEMA) Presidential Declaration

13. Local Mental Health Authority Assures development of emergency MH plan Ensures integration of local MH plan and local EMA preparedness plan Ensure Implementation of local plan Develops MOU and interagency agreements Coordinate local MH resources

14. Local MH Disaster Coordinator Agency designates a coordinator Develops agency disaster MH plan Develop a response team Identify key decision makers Informational and training needs Participate in local disaster drills

15. Disaster Response Team Specifically trained to provide emergency mental health services Participates in MH Emergency response training Education and Consultation Assistance to special populations Participate in drill and exercises Implements local response plan

16. State Mental Health Agency Director authorizes utilization of state MH resources and assistance to mitigate event Disaster Service administrator receives request for assistance from local authority Administrator assess need w/community Identify available state resources. Coordinates MH assistance to impacted area Provide response and support to State EOC

17. State Mental Health Agency Implement plan and steps to improve Integrate MH emergency plans with state emergency management and other community emergency response partners Monitor, adjust response with local mental health authority, state agency partners and federal emergency response agencies. Debrief, Review and Assess response.

18. Federal Government Assess and determine damage Protect life and property Assist state in its recovery process Funding via Robert T. Stafford Act Individual Assistance Program Public Assistance Program Other funding ASPR, HRSA, SAMHSA

19. Section 416 of Stafford Act “The President is authorized to provide professional counseling services, including financial assistance to state or local agencies or private mental health organizations to provide such services or training of disaster workers to victims of major disasters in order to relieve mental health problems caused or aggravated by such major disaster or its aftermath”

20. State Resources Technical Assistance Human resources Funds TA in developing local plans Federal Grant application support Collaborative Partnerships Behavioral Health Volunteers Housing, Special pop., Diversity Research and Evaluation Inpatient care/community based care

21. Resources ODMH Behavioral Health Disaster Curriculum ODMH Psychological First Aid http://mentalhealth.ohio.gov/what-we-do/provide/emergency-preparedness Ohio Emergency Management http://ema.ohio.gov/ National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) www.fema.gov/emergency/nims Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities www.oacbha.org

22. Resources The Ohio Council of BH Family Providers www.theohiocouncil.org Following Disaster http://publicsafety.ohio.gov/NPM/index.stm Center for Study of Traumatic Stress http://www.center forthestudyoftraumaticstress.org Communicating in A Crisis: Risk Communication Guidelines http://www.riskcommunication.samhsa.gov

23. Resources SAMHSA Resilience and Stress Management Resource collection www.SAMHSA.gov National Center fro Posttraumatic Stress Disorders http://www.ptsd.va.gov Blindsided: A managers Guide to Catastrophic incidents in the Workplace http://www/cmiatl.com Mental Health Response to Mass Violence https://store.SAMHSA.gov/SMA04-359

24. “ Be A Noah ” When preparing for crises, it is instructive to recall that Noah started building the ark before it began to rain

25. Summary Disasters are a complex, human bureaucratic and political event. Routine procedures and resources are not enough to manage the changes caused by the disaster. Planning and Coordination of identified resources is required to address the physical and mental health needs of impacted persons and communities…... joseph.hill@mh.ohio.gov 614-644-6996