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Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series Resource Center
The SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) provides various resources and useful information for those in the disaster behavioral health field.
All resources for which links are provided are in the public domain or have been authorized for noncommercial use. Hardcopies of some materials may be ordered. If you use content from resources in this collection in program materials, you should acknowledge the source of the materials. Nothing in these other than SAMHSA resources constitutes a direct or indirect endorsement by SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of any non-federal entity’s products, services, or policies.
Did you know you can download your search results? Simply apply search filters and then click on the Download Filtered Resources link to obtain a .csv file with the resources you have found, including each resource’s name, description, date, URL, and source.
This guide provides general information about disaster behavioral health and describes activities involved in various stages of the planning process, from plan development to testing to activation to deactivation and evaluation and improvement over time. The guide identifies resources that may be helpful in planning and features a checklist with key elements of a disaster behavioral health plan.
Presented by the President of National Emergency Management and Response, this webinar for state emergency managers covers best practices in case management strategies to support survivors of disasters. Key topics addressed in the webinar include evaluating resource coordination, assessing effectiveness of communication, and monitoring development and enhancement of community resilience.
At this web page, DHS details First Responder Capability, a program dedicated to providing first responders with technical assistance and inventive solutions to challenges caused by the nature of their jobs. The web page provides information on grants and training, as well as additional topical research and resources.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services created this emergency response plan to guide state officials on an effective response to a pandemic. This plan can be used and adapted by other state and public health officials to prepare their agencies for a pandemic influenza outbreak.
This web page shares guidelines to help evacuation shelters ensure their space is safe for transgender people. These guidelines include respecting a person’s self-identification and responding to inappropriate behavior or harassment.
This webinar explores the importance of effective communication in emergency management and ways emergency managers can communicate effectively with people with disabilities. The webinar draws from real-life scenarios to define effective communication and describe how emergency managers can build upon their communications approach.
This resource collection includes web pages, manuals, guides, technical assistance documents, mobile apps, and training on topics including responding to a radiation emergency, responding to a nuclear detonation, triaging survivors, and managing hazardous materials. Items may be useful both to responders and those who manage responders and response efforts.
Developed for institutions of higher education, this guide incorporates lessons learned from past incidents and recommendations from experts in the field to provide guidance for emergency planners revising and updating existing emergency operations plans. This resource was jointly developed by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.
Developed jointly by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services, this guide is designed to help individual schools and school districts develop and update emergency operations plans. It highlights lessons learned and recommendations to ensure high-quality school emergency operations plans.
This web page from FEMA provides information regarding disaster planning and recovery for tribal governments in collaboration with federal and state emergency management agencies. It includes guidance for tribal governments interested in seeking assistance after receiving a disaster declaration, background information on FEMA tribal policies, and tools for pursuing disaster planning, mitigation, and funding assistance.
This web page from the SAMHSA Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center provides resources that American Indian and Alaska Native communities can use to strengthen suicide prevention efforts. It links to a number of fact sheets, toolkits, research articles, and organizations.
This web page provides information for businesses to use to create a crisis communication plan as part of an overall emergency preparedness program. It provides guidance for creating messages for various audiences in an emergency and discusses development of pre-scripted messages for use during a crisis situation.
This web page lists information about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, provides a 988 partner toolkit, and includes data on suicide and prevention resources. It also features links to partner organizations.
The ERHMS™ framework provides ideas for protecting disaster and emergency responders in an emergency of any size and in any setting. Designed for incident command staff members, leaders in response organizations, healthcare professionals, and responders themselves, the framework can be used to develop and implement a plan for monitoring and surveillance of responder health before, during, and after deployment.
Through this center, SAMHSA provides training and technical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, tribal SAMHSA grantees, and individuals and organizations who work with AI/AN people. Topics include mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and mental and substance use disorders. The center's website provides information and links to print materials, websites, and webinars.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant provides funds and technical assistance to all 50 states, as well as a wide range of U.S. territories and a tribal entity. Grantees use the funds to plan, implement, and evaluate activities that prevent and treat substance use and promote public health. Although the program is noncompetitive, it runs on a 1-year term, and eligible entities must submit an application annually.
This resource describes evidence-supported strategies for states and communities to use to implement suicide prevention activities and reduce suicide risk. The guide offers an overview of suicide as a preventable public health problem, explains evidence criteria for inclusion in the guide, and details and expands upon each strategy.
This blog post from Equal Justice Works explores opportunities for tribal communities to receive disaster planning and response aid from federal and state agencies. It provides background information regarding the federal recognition of tribal sovereignty and explores legislature and policies tribal communities can benefit from to ensure effective disaster preparedness and recovery.
Organized by suicide prevention organizations, Suicide Prevention Now provides a report on a poll reviewing the public's beliefs and attitudes about suicide and mental health. The website provides key messages and tools that people can use to support and communicate about suicide prevention.
This website provides information on Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, which it describes as "an approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment to people with substance use disorders and those at risk of developing these disorders."
This web page explores community violence data, including data surrounding youth and vulnerable populations, to highlight the important preventive strategies communities can pursue. It provides community members with resources, including databases and technical guides, to encourage the continued collection of data and strategies for building community resilience.
This report outlines the burden of mental health problems globally, including their impact on substance use disorders. It contains suggestions on how to scale up mental health care in communities as well as resources for prevention.
This two-part recorded webinar explores incidents of criminal mass violence or domestic terrorism at higher education institutions to highlight strategies to best address the needs of victims, families, and the campus community. The training focuses on challenges, resources, and opportunities for higher education institutions to prepare for and respond to mass violence incidents.
Presented by the Pacific ADA Center, this webinar highlights the importance for emergency management directors of enhancing accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when developing emergency management programs. The webinar aims to aid emergency managers’ understanding of the challenges they may face when ensuring compliance within their programs, as well as ways to address these challenges.
This web page presents facts about the effects emergencies may have on mental health. It also describes the types of social and mental health problems survivors may experience and provides guidelines for an effective emergency response.