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.

2010 Conference

July 16, 2010

Omaha, Nebraska

Objectives

1

Introduce Haitian culture and the impact of the earthquake on the Haitian mental health system.

2

Provide practical steps for managing behavioral elements related to organizational violence.

3

Offer strategies for supporting children in times of crisis or loss, particularly within a school community.

4

Introduce a tool to improve self-care in high-stress environments and enhance knowledge of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and resilience.

5

Describe and apply the primary ethical issues in disaster response to natural, technological, and complex disasters.

Conference Speakers

J. Roosevelt Clérismé, M.D.

Held an associate medical director and unit chief position at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, associate chairman of psychiatry and director of geriatric psychiatry at Jamaica Hospital

Dr. J. Roosevelt Clerisme, a native of Haiti, is board-certified in general psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry. Dr. Clerisme has held leadership positions as associate medical director at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center as well as unit chief, associate chairman of psychiatry, and director of geriatric psychiatry at Jamaica Hospital. He has also maintained a psychiatric private practice since 1983 in a culturally diverse community where he treats fellow Haitians and other West Indian patients. Dr. Clerisime has been on the executive board of the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad since the early 1980s and has been involved in educating the Haitian community about various health issues through health fairs and radio and TV programs. He is the founder and president of CORRECT HEALTH IN HAITI, a nonprofit organization supporting a rural clinic in Haiti.

James Cawood, M.A.

President of Factor One

James Cawood is currently the president of Factor One, which provides vertically integrated violence risk assessment and threat management expertise. Mr. Cawood has assessed over 4000 cases and has designed and implemented violence risk assessment and workplace violence training programs, provided site security program review, and investigative consultation for other sensitive client concerns including loss of proprietary information, claims of sexual harassment or discrimination, financial irregularities, and conflicts of interest.

Robin H. Gurwitch, Ph.D.

Program coordinator at National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, professor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Robin H. Gurwitch is the program coordinator for the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement. Additionally, Dr. Gurwitch is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She co-authored a guidebook for community resilience in the face of disaster with a focus on children and families with the CDC. She has worked with the Department of Defense/Pentagon to develop materials for families and children whose parents are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Gurwitch was recently asked to chair the APA Presidential Task Force on the Psychological Needs of U.S. Military Service Members and Their Families.

Amy Hudnall, M.A.

Lecturer at Appalachian State University

Amy C. Hudnall is a scholar-activist who is a lecturer in the History Department at Appalachian State University. Her work focuses on cross-cultural trauma, genocide, and peace studies. She has presented and published on captivity trauma, human rights, secondary trauma, and cross-cultural conflict. She received her M.A. in history at Appalachian State University and also studied at the Bayerische Julius-Maximilian-Universitat in Germany. Hudnall is a member of the international Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Education Team and the consortium TRANSCEND-USA.

Lawrence B. Rosenfeld, Ph.D.

Professor, adjunct professor, and chair at the University of North Carolina

Lawrence B. Rosenfeld is a professor of communication studies; adjunct professor of social work; and chair, Behavioral Institutional Review Board at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author or co-author of 22 books; his latest book is the second edition of When Their World Falls Apart: Helping Families and Children Manage the Effects of Disasters (co-authored by Joanne Caye, Mooli Lahad, and Robin Gurwitch, National Association of Social Workers Press, 2010). Dr. Rosenfeld is the 2006 recipient of the National Communication Association’s Gerald M. Phillips Award for Outstanding Scholarship in applied communication research, the 2000 recipient of the National Communication Association’s Donald H. Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education, the 1995 recipient of the University of North Carolinas Johnston Award for Teaching Excellence, and is listed in a 2004 publication as the tenth most prolific currently active scholar in communication.

Conference Materials

Conference Agenda

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.