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Disaster Response Goes Digital: User-Informed Mobile App Helps Behavioral Health Responders Focus on People in Need with Real-Time Resources
With 95 declared disasters in 2013, behavioral health disaster response resources are in high demand. Request for rapid response and potential infrastructure damage challenge the shipping and distribution of print resources, which cannot be updated in real-time.
Methods:
Recognizing the trend toward digital resources, SAMHSA engaged in formative research and interviews with subject matter experts and end-users from the American Red Cross, FEMA, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and state and county health departments to explore the utility of transforming its hard-copy Disaster Kit to an interactive mobile application. These collaborations and partnerships revealed that hard-copy products are cumbersome; shareable digital materials on a smart phone are preferable; and local resources and responder privacy are crucial.
Results/Outcomes:
Those basic guidelines helped develop the SAMHSA Disaster App, with a user-centric design providing responders free access to trauma- and disaster-related resources, including lifelines, suicide prevention, mental health first aid, and capabilities to communicate with survivors. A research-informed key feature included SAMHSA’s behavioral health services locator, which allows users to search for mental health and/or substance use treatment facilities by ZIP code according to facility type and patient age, and anonymously share locations with survivors via text or email. Since natural disasters can cripple infrastructure, the Disaster App allows responders to pre-download publications and treatment facility locations prior to arriving at a disaster site. SAMHSA is using web-tracking IDs to better understand app usage and disseminating a satisfaction survey to assess field use and opportunities for app enhancement.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsAdministration, management, leadership
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Learning Objectives:
Describe key insights on the utility of digital resources for disaster response and how to troubleshoot potential barriers with devices and infrastructure.
Identify behavioral health resources for free via the SAMHSA Disaster App on a BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android mobile device.
Demonstrate best practices for collaborating with key partners in the development, promotion, and distribution of targeted resources for disaster response.
Demonstrate how to search for and map behavioral health treatment facilities in the area affected by disaster using the SAMHSA Disaster App.
Keyword(s): Mental Health, Disasters
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: CAPT Maryann Robinson, PhD, RN is a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer at SAMHSA, where she serves as Chief for the Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress Services Branch. Her primary responsibility as Branch Chief is to manage the Child Trauma and the Crisis Counseling Programs, which have significant, positive effect on the behavioral health of men, women, youth and children who may have experienced natural or human-caused disasters and/or traumas.
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.