141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

286015
Integration of mental and behavioral health services following disasters to support resilience


Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Joy Osofsky, Ph.D., Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
     
International data, including the findings from our studies, demonstrate that massive disasters impact both physically and psychologically on adults and children due to destruction and loss, economic impact, forced separations from communities, and accompanying stresses. Disasters with slow recovery and multiple complexities, such as a combination of natural and technological disasters, can result in acute and chronic psychological effects. Families in the Gulf region have had to cope with multiple disasters- including most recently the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill- resulting in cumulative traumatization and indications of community corrosion. Early provision of accessible mental and behavioral health services following disasters is a sustainable and cost-effective way to prevent exacerbation of negative mental health problems and promote well-being for individuals and community resilience.

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe preparation for and response to immediate and longer tem mental and behavioral health needs following disasters. Identify differential needs of children of different ages and their families including developmental issues for children in preparation for and following disasters. Discuss effective community and school based resilience building programs for children, adolescents, and families.

Keyword(s): Mental Health Services, Disasters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a clinical and developmental psychologist at LSU Health Sciences Center. Following Hurricane Katrina, I was asked by the Louisiana State Office of Behavioral Health to serve as Clinical Director for Child and Adolescent Initiatives for Louisiana Spirit. I provide leadership related to disaster response and recovery following the Gulf Oil Spill and am Co-Director of the Mental and Behavioral Health Capacity Project in Louisiana for the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5094.0: Public Health Resilience: Recurrent Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities