SAMHSA DTAC September Bulletin- National Preparedness Month: Disaster Behavioral Health Preparedness
SAMHSA DTAC DBH
Every September, National Preparedness Month raises awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies. This campaign puts people first and reaches out to their locations to help get disaster preparedness information into various U.S. communities. After an emergency or disaster, individuals and families can experience anxiety, distress, and other adverse reactions. Studies have found connections between trauma in an emergency or disaster event and increased healthcare needs, often for several years after the event. Previous disaster and emergency exposure puts communities and the responders who serve them at greater risk for adverse reactions. Resilience and recovery can be made easier with the help of behavioral health training and resources.
The following resources provide information with a focus on disaster preparedness and disaster behavioral health preparedness. They are designed for communities and the emergency and disaster responders who serve communities.
Disaster Response Template Toolkit
This SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC)
toolkit offers guidance and templates for disaster behavioral health
programs to help expedite and support program planning, implementation,
and management. The toolkit offers education about disaster reactions and
coping strategies. Templates for printed materials and social media are
available.
Developed for healthcare professionals responding to the
COVID-19 pandemic, this tip sheet from SAMHSA DTAC provides information
that may be helpful to healthcare professionals during or after any
disaster who are experiencing stress and compassion fatigue. It describes
stress and compassion fatigue and offers ways to cope and build
resilience. It also provides resources for more information and support.
This SAMHSA manual provides comprehensive guidance for
substance use disorder and behavioral health treatment programs in
updating or creating a comprehensive disaster plan. It reviews planning
needs from partnership development to general planning processes to plan
testing and use and addresses considerations related to pharmacotherapy,
medically supervised withdrawal, and inpatient and outpatient services.
This online training focuses on Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR),
an evidence-informed intervention based on six skills survivors can use
to cope and access resilience in the weeks and months after a disaster or
trauma. The training includes guidance for those providing SPR to
disaster survivors. To complete SPR Online training, you must create an account.
This Ready 2023 Preparedness Calendar from the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security is a planning tool with links to
preparedness activities and disaster resources people can access
throughout the year. It emphasizes preparedness for winter weather, floods,
extreme heat, hurricanes, wildfires, and more. People can select items in
the calendar that correspond to their community’s hazards and needs.
If you have any questions or if you would like additional information, please reach out to the SAMHSA DTAC team at 1-800-308-3515 or via e-mail at dt...@iqsolutions.com.