Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health Conference

The Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health Conference is for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health care providers, public health officials, nurses, clergy, emergency managers, and first responders to learn and recognize how to prepare and respond to the psychological effects of disaster and mass casualties.

2005 Conference

July 14-15, 2005

Embassy Suites Hotel

555 South 10th Street

Omaha, Nebraska 68102

Objectives

1

Recognize opportunities to improve cultural competence in service delivery following a disaster or critical incident.

2

Explore intervention strategies appropriate for use with children following a disaster or critical incident.

3

Identify the post-disaster needs of people who have experienced past trauma (e.g. war, abuse).

4

Examine the role of mental health in risk communication.

Conference Speakers

Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., J.D.

Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Dr. Ritchie received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology and Folklore and Mythology from Harvard College and her medical degree from George Washington University. She did a psychiatry internship, residency, and fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Her assignments have included: the division psychiatrist for the 2nd Infantry Division on the DMZ in Korea; 528th Combat Stress Control Detachment in Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope; numerous positions at Walter Reed and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. She is currently an associate professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and a psychiatry consultant to the Army Surgeon General.

Bruce Young, LCSW

Disaster services coordinator, National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mr. Young is editor of the NC-PTSD Clinical Quarterly and has been a consultant to FEMA, SAMHSA, U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Defense, and the American Red Cross. His disaster experience includes numerous natural disasters, the Los Angeles riots, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Alaskan airline flight 261 crash, and the events of 9/11. He has numerous publications related to disaster mental health and is co-editor of Group Treatments for PTSD. (1999).

Kermit Crawford, Ph.D.

Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health (CMMH), Division of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center

Dr. Crawford is a licensed psychologist and a designated forensic psychologist. CMMH has provided extensive services to surviving family members of the victims on the airplanes that were flown into the World Trade Centers during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to first responders who were involved in the search, rescue, and recovery effort. Dr. Crawford has expertise in mental health and substance abuse and extensive experience in disaster behavioral health. He was a reviewer of the surgeon general’s Supplemental Report on Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity.

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dean, Chana Institute of Jewish Studies

Rabbi Friedman hosts his own critically acclaimed cable television series, Torah Forum with Manis Friedman. In 1971, he founded Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies, the world’s first yeshiva exclusively for women, where he continues to serve as dean. He is currently working on a guide to address the needs of observant Jews in disasters.

Ron Edmond

Senior technical specialist, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

Mr. Edmond has collaborated with the Center for Disease Control and American Institutes for Research staff on the review of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) training curriculum. He has designed and taught Spokesperson for the First Responder; Spokesperson for Technical Advisors; Environmental Risk Communication; Emergency Public Information; The Role of the Spokesperson during a Crisis; Telephone Team and Media monitoring; and developed the Emergency Public Information Pocket Guide. He also worked in the State of Utah’s Joint Information Center during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Elaine Enarson, Ph.D.

Lecturer, sociology and women’s studies, University of Colorado-Boulder

Dr. Elaine Enarson is a field researcher with a strong interest in violence against women in disasters and women’s work to reduce risk. She is co-editor of The Gendered Terrain of Disaster: Through Women’s Eyes and has published numerous studies on women, gender, and disaster.

Malia Robinson, Ph.D.

Independent consultant

Dr. Robinson has worked in Africa managing and advising psychological support programs for children affected by armed conflict. She has developed international programs for child protection and psychosocial programming. She has extensive experience in working with street children, children in foster care, runaways, and children in conflict with the law.

Conference Materials

Conference Agenda

Conference News

Additional Resources

Conference Sponsors

Project Partners

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Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
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Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
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Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

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Disclaimer

This website is part of a coordinated effort on behalf of the U.S. Federal Government and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health, Division of Behavioral Health, and the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. Funding was made possible [in part] by U3REP190555 from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The views expressed in written materials or publications do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government or the State of Nebraska.