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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Lynda R. Flage, PhD¹, Jerry Gale, PhD², Amos Zeichner, PhD³, Richard King, LCSW⁴, and Donald Randall, MDiv PhD⁴. (1) College of Public Health, University of Georgia, 1090 Melrose Drive, Watkinsville, GA 30677, 706-769-5096, l_flage@bellsouth.net, (2) Marriage and Family Counseling, University of Georgia, 260 Lenox Road, Athens, GA 30606, (3) Psychology Department, University of Georgia, 105 Gibbons Way, Athens, GA 30606, (4) Athens Psychological Associates, 1150 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30605

The trauma and devastation of 9/11 motivated the formation of an interdisciplinary, community-focused crisis response team (CRT) in Athens, GA. The goal of this team was to provide emergency mental health services in response to a community crisis in order to restore emotional welfare to affected persons. Approximately 15 individuals formed the core team. Meeting monthly, the core team created a mission statement, organized two community training sessions, developed an incident command structure, developed and practiced disaster scenarios, connected with emergency response organizations at the local, district, and state levels, and planned a communication system for members and volunteers. More than four years after its inception, the Athens CRT was activated and deployed to work with over 600 Hurricane Katrina evacuees at a designated Red Cross shelter 60 miles south of Athens. Years of planning, practicing, and building a core infrastructure were tested in the two weeks of work with evacuees at the shelter. Many lessons were gleaned from real-world exposure. These included the toll of compassion fatigue on volunteers and core team members, the relative strengths and weaknesses of our infrastructure, and the value of trauma training and disaster scenario practice. This presentation details the steps taken toward forming the infrastructure of the CRT, describes the lessons learned during its activation and work with Katrina evacuees, examines the role of local mental health volunteers, and provides suggestions for those seeking to organize a similar mental health response team in their community.

Learning Objectives: