Behavioral Health Services:
Responding to the National Crisis

September 14, 2001

A Message to America's hospitals:

This Behavioral Health Advisory was developed by the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) and the American Hospital Association (AHA) to provide suggestions about how America's hospitals can deal with the public's response to the national tragedies of September 11, 2001. It is specifically aimed at hospitals with behavioral health services, but it is our hope that other organizations may find the information useful as well.

Behavioral health care is an integral part of overall health, and hospitals, especially those offering behavioral health care services, will be called on to play a critical role in helping their communities cope. The goal of our members – and the goal of our associations – is to provide resources that will make a difference in people’s lives.

This advisory offers a checklist for preparing your facility for action, Web-based resources and fact sheets that can be distributed in your community, and ideas on how you can personally contribute to the national recovery.

We would also welcome feedback on specific actions your behavioral health services are taking in this national emergency. You can e-mail comm@naphs.org or bjohnson@aha.org. Thank you for your ongoing contributions – both in the short-term and in the days ahead.

Dick Davidson
President
American Hospital Association
325 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 638-1100

Mark Covall
Executive Director
National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems
325 Seventh Street, NW, Suite 625
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-6700

 

Behavioral Health Services:
Responding to a National Crisis

September 14, 2001

The tragedies of September 11, 2001, are sending shockwaves throughout the nation. As Americans struggle to cope, organizations providing behavioral health care will serve as critical community resources.

There are likely to be several waves of reaction. The immediate need will be for grief counseling and crisis intervention. As time goes on, the focus will be on helping children, adolescents, and adults experiencing more pervasive and extreme reactions to find the professional support they need.

To ensure that your behavioral health care services are prepared to handle the concerns and needs of your community, review the following issues.

Areas for Consideration and Review

  • Equip all staff members with general information (such as fact sheets, resource people, etc.). We have compiled a list below of Web sites with helpful handouts and background. Whether you provide existing materials or customized fact sheets from your facility, consider making these documents widely available in areas accessible to the public (including your reception desk, waiting rooms, cafeteria, etc.). Remember that patients, staff, families, and the general community will have questions and can benefit from basic information and education.
  • Identify specialists, as well as resources within your own treatment programs. Be prepared with a list of your own experts in critical areas (such as post-traumatic stress disorder or children’s mental health) as well as specialized treatment and outreach services you provide (e.g. employee assistance programs) to assist your admissions/intake offices.
  • Have a specific plan in place to deal with people coming to your facility looking for help. Discuss specifically how you will determine their needs and get them to the right level of care.
  • Be certain your list of behavioral health community resources is up-to-date, so that referrals can be facilitated.
  • Identify staff members with personal losses. Review your leave policies to be certain that you can provide these staff members the time they will need to deal with their personal obligations.
  • Prepare your media spokespersons with behavioral health facts. In addition to preparing your spokespersons to educate your community about issues related to grief and loss, prepare to explain your own facility’s role in responding to this national tragedy. Encourage staff members to report to a central contact on their own personal efforts. Use this information to tell your facility’s story to the media.
  • Organize or encourage participation in community activities. Consider hosting community or professional education programs; candlelight vigils; or offer direct counseling and outreach to schools, employers, or other community organizations.
  • Consider establishing a toll-free hotline to provide a point of contact for your community. Consider organizing 24-hour coverage by coordinating with other behavioral health providers in your community (including hospitals, community mental health centers, youth services organizations, group homes, etc.).
  • Establish regular follow-up with your staff (whether through weekly meetings, internal newsletters, e-mail, or other communications). Staff members need an opportunity to understand how they can help, and to share their ideas.
  • Continue monitoring your response. The effects of the events of September 11 will continue to be felt for a long time. Your organization may need to emphasize different resources as time goes on.

Web Resources

The following Web sites offer a wide variety of fact sheets, phone numbers, and resources that can help children respond to a crisis. Use these as you develop your own community education programming. Consider putting fact sheets in your waiting rooms or posting information on your own Web site.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry site at http://www.aacap.org includes "Facts for Families," a fact sheet on post-traumatic stress disorder.

The American Psychiatric Association site at http://www.psych.org includes press releases and fact sheets on the psychiatric dimensions of disaster.

The American Psychological Association site at http://www.apa.org addresses concerns about when to seek professional help, how to help one's family and self, and how to specifically help children.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has added:

    • Web information specifically to help parents talk to children about terrorism. See http://www.fema.gov/kids.
    • a summary of phone numbers (with disaster relief, donation, government resources, etc.) at http://www.fema.gov

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill at http://www.nami.org offers links to local chapters as well as background such as "Helping Children Cope After a Terrorist Attack."

The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at http://www.ncptsd.org offers information like "Effects of Traumatic Stress in the Disaster Situation."

The National Institute on Mental Health Web site at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/ptsdmenu.cfm includes references to fact sheets related to post-traumatic stress disorder, helping children cope with violence and disasters, and other resources.

The National Mental Health Association at http://www.nmha.org offers facts on "Helping Children Handle Disaster-Related Anxiety" and "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," among other resources.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration site at http://www.mentalhealth.org/cmhs/EmergencyServices/terrorism.htm includes links to multiple resources, including Spanish-language materials and ideas on "How to Help Children After Disaster."

Contacts

If you have questions about this advisory, please contact Kathleen McCann, R.N., D.N.Sc., NAPHS director of clinical services, 202-393-6700, Ext. 102, or AHA at 800-424-4301.

NAPHS: http://www.naphs.org
AHA: http://www.aha.org

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