 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Patrick G. Ryan, RN, BSN, Jonathan Evans, RN, C, BSN, Vanessa Vinci, RN, C, Deborah Harding, RN BSN, and Jennifer Douglas, RN, BSN. Division of Nursing, New York University, 1708 Second Avenue, Apt 4R, New York, NY, NY 10128, 212-860-6795, pgr204@nyu.edu
On September 11, 2001, there was major loss of life when the World Trade Center towers in New York City were destroyed. With the destruction shown repeatedly on television channels around the clock for days, images of disaster were unavoidable to viewers across the country. For the 900 children in the two public elementary schools located in the immediate vicinity of the disaster epicenter, the inescapable TV viewing compounded the trauma experienced by witnessing the event firsthand and being evacuated from familiar classrooms (not to return for over four months); some were also displaced from their homes. Although there was a temporary influx of mental health professionals following the disaster, research suggests that up to 90% of those exposed to a traumatic event may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since symptoms may take months to manifest, potentially worsening if untreated, an onsite assessment was conducted at these schools to identify this population’s potentially unmet mental health needs. Finding the need to raise consciousness about both PTSD and how to access support services, we proposed an intervention program modeled after project CREST developed in St. Louis, MO following major floods (North, Hong, 2000). Recognizing that following a disaster, people tend to seek help from community leaders rather than mental-health professionals, an advanced practice public health nurse will train selected community members to disseminate information and make referrals. The poster will identify proposed training content and other available resources. This work was done as part of course work by 1st-year master's students.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mental Health, School Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.