Mental Health Professionals Offer Help to Storm Victims
Addiction and mental health professionals are among those who are answering the call to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina, which brought devastation to New Orleans and parts of the Gulf Coast on August 29.
Currently, several local recovery advocates in the Gulf Coast areas and elsewhere are working to respond to the needs of recovering people, as well as people who suffer from behavioral health disorders, and those who are suffering psychological trauma resulting from the impact of the storm. Among them, the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies (NJAMHA) has offered to send volunteers from its network of mental health providers to the affected areas.
According to NJAMHA CEO Debra L. Wentz, PhD, people who are having difficulty coping with traumatic events brought on by the storm and its aftermath should contact a mental health professional in their community, immediately. Wentz, who has been working with victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka, said that serious mental health problems are to be expected for both victims and relief workers irritability, night terrors, depression, hopelessness and anxiety are fairly normal in the days following a natural disaster.
It is perfectly natural to feel anxious or depressed at this time, but it is important for individuals to be aware of the symptoms that could indicate a more serious problem, Wentz said. It is important to understand that stressful times may exacerbate underlying mental health problems.
NJAMHA spokesperson Dan Seymour said the association is looking at the volunteer effort as a long-term project. About 10 mental health professionals have volunteered to travel to Mississippi , Alabama and Louisiana , however, no one has yet been sent. According to Seymour , NJAMHA has received some feedback from officials in the affected states, but assessments of need are not yet complete. Wentz did confirm that there has been some success with linking displaced families with mental health services in their new locations.
In the meantime, there are other ways members of the recovery and mental health communities can help assist the hurricane victims. According to Samantha-Hope Atkins of Hope Networks, the void of services is enormous, and at this point, government services are not an option. Currently, local recovery advocates are focusing primarily on detox and securing transportation and beds for treating patients with immediate needs. They have issued a call for some immediate assistance in the following areas:
- Establishing a central point of contact if possible, a toll free hotline that actually has services readily available for persons calling the number.
- Medical Detox for those with life threatening withdrawal and co-occurring medical psychiatric conditions.
- Post Detox treatment/recovery support service placement.
- Transportation and case management services, including vital support such as child care and elderly care.
- Public outreach and information campaign and media support (PSAs, billboards, PR services, etc.).
In addition, they are looking for available sober housing in their communities to accommodate persons who were living in recovery homes that were destroyed; and recovery literature, especially Big Books. Anyone looking to help should contact Samantha Hope-Atkins of Hope Networks at Sam@HopeNetworks.org . Recovery literature can be shipped to: Samantha-Hope Atkins, 8867 Highland Road, Suite 320 , Baton Rouge , LA 70808.
In addition to seeking placement for displaced patients at his facility, Dwayne Beason, CEO of St. Christopher's Halfway House in Louisiana, is working to set up a foundation and a website to place displaced addiction treatment professionals doctors, nurses, counselors and administrators and others who were left without jobs, following the hurricane. The website will host jobs and professionals looking for jobs. For more information, contact St. Christopher's at (225) 387-1611, or visit the organization's website at www.stchris-br.com .
To get more information on treating Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) view a list of online courses offered below:
Stephanie Muller is the editor of Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals. She can be contacted by email at: editor@counselormagazine.com
For more information on Counselor, visit http://www.counselormagazine.com .
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