DMHA's Disaster Mental Health Intervention Field Guide Showcased as Best Practice

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Family and Social Services Administration's (FSSA) Division of Mental Health and Addiction's (DMHA) Disaster Mental Health Intervention Field Guide was selected to be included in www.PandemicPractices.org, an online database of promising practices. The site was launched on September 24, 2007 by the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota and the Pew Center on the States (PCS), a division of the Pew Charitable Trusts.

"After Hurricane Katrina, we felt it necessary to have a quick and easy reference for disaster mental health services," said DMHA Director Cathy Boggs. "The Field Guide was created as an aide for those responding to disaster situations and we are excited that it will now be shared with others across the country."

The Disaster Mental Health Intervention Field Guide is compiled of mental health tools that describe a range of behavioral health responses to disasters and offers suggestions on how to interact with and respond to victims.Ultimately, the Field Guide serves as a reference for disaster mental health responders to use while deployed. The guide provides specific suggestions for several groups at risk for behavioral health problems and prioritizes such groups for intervention.

Indiana's approach was one of more than 130 practices submitted from four countries, 22 states and 30 communities nationwide. The Pandemic Practices database will allow cities, counties, states, hospitals, clinics and community organizations to save time and resources by adapting promising approaches created by their peers. Users can easily find practices applicable to their communities by searching by state or topic, as well as area of special interest.

For more information on FSSA you can go to: http://www.in.gov/fssa/.

Source: Family and Social Services Administration

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