Building County Disaster Response Capacity:

A Focus on Morris County

(Continued from newsletter)

Prior to the federal push for states to participate in an all-hazards planning process, each of New Jersey's 21 counties had some version of a disaster mental health plan.  But prior to this effort, those plans varied greatly in scope, format, sophistication, and detail. The focus on all-hazards planning has greatly aided in creating a higher-degree of uniformity and interoperability between county plans, for purposes of mutual aid, and to better interface with traditional emergency service agencies who have historically used the all-hazards approach.

In working with county mental health leaders it became clear that many models of county disaster response team development pre-dated the current preparedness culture, and that each county team had a different genesis and model of operation.

In this issue of the New Jersey Crisis Counselor we will profile Morris County, and share the history and current status the county's disaster mental health system as explained by its coordinator, Laurie Becker (LB), the County Mental Health Administrator.  The New Jersey Crisis Counselor (CC) recently asked Laurie to share some of the history and lessons learned in developing county disaster/emergency response networks.

CC: Laurie, tell us, what is the name of the Morris County disaster mental health system and how has it evolved?

LB: The network is usually just referred to as the "Emergency Mental Health Call-Up Roster" but it really is more of a network than a list. Following 9/11, a number of local mental health provider agencies, as well as human service organizations, our health management office and liaisons to other groups, such as the Prosecutor's Office, United Way and Child and Family Resources, were called together by our County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator to discuss how we would meet the needs of Morris County residents affected by the World Trade Center attack. In all there were 18 partner provider groups. Our immediate idea was to build upon what was already in place and working well in the county.

CC: What type of structures already existed for emergency mental health in Morris County?

LB: One of the most successful was the Children's Response Network (CRN) developed in the late '80s and early '90's to respond to traumatic events in the schools. The network consists of mental health workers from Saint Clare's Hospital, Morristown Memorial Hospital and New Bridge Services. The CRN is accessed through the 24/7 Crisis Intervention Unit at Morristown Memorial, and had an extensive history of responding to school and community crisis in Morris, and sometimes beyond. This was one example of a structure that was already in place and could be used following 9/11.

CC: Where are you now in the development of your county mental health response capacity?

LB: Today we have  85 members on our countywide roster. Around 20 of them are private practice mental health providers, and the rest work in agencies. We meet five times each year, and have been involved in a number of activities besides direct crisis response.

CC: Can you give us an example of some of those activities?

LB: Well, most recently, nine of our members participated in the TopOff 3 exercise. Six served as mental health workers, two as role-players, and one as an evaluator. We connect our members with as much training as is available and everyone has been through the FEMA-based basic crisis counseling training program. Ongoing training has been a very important aspect of our program development.

CC: What would you say is a unique aspect of your program that would not likely be part of other counties' operations?

LB: One project really stands out. Morris Project 9/11 is a consortium of providers run by the Mental Health Association of Morris County, and staffed by several local agencies. For 2 1/2 years it has provided ongoing group and individual counseling, child care and back-to-work assistance for those still affected by 9/11. The fact that we still have such a need, and such a dedicated program as part of our overall approach to disaster mental health, I think is unique to our county.

CC: In closing, what do you think will be most important to the continuing evolution of your program?

LB: Two things come to mind. The first is ongoing training, as I mentioned. This is important to keep people involved, motivated, and feeling part of the team even when there are no events to respond to. The second is the credentialing process the Division of Mental Health Services is currently piloting. We have always felt the need to get to know our member as well as possible, and to make sure they are properly equipped to be disaster mental health responders. Together, those are two of the most important elements for the growth and success of our program.

CC: Thank you, Laurie. I am sure that this information will be interesting and helpful to other counties as they continue to develop their own disaster mental health networks!

In the next issue of New Jersey Crisis Counselor, we will focus on Ocean County and hear from Jill Perez, Assistant Mental Health Administrator and coordinator of the Emergency Response Committee.