The success of this pilot has led DMHS to expand Phase I to all counties in the state; thus, all county mental health administrators will be contacted in the upcoming months to complete Phase I. Additionally, DMHS is now moving into Phase II of the project. Phase II involves development of standards for this process, formal development and issuance of a certification in disaster crisis response and the formulation of the basic structure that will support these functions. Once the basic structure of this certification is established, all participants who have completed the Phase I review will be contacted, through their county mental health administrator, to sign the requisite forms that will allow for issuing a certification as a Disaster Response Crisis Counselor (DRCC). This certification will provide the disaster mental health workforce with the requisite training and support necessary to sustain the response network. It is anticipated that these initial certifications will be distributed by the end of 2006. The “grandfathering” provision to receive this certification will end on June 1, 2007.

As part of the credentialing and certification process, a database will be maintained for each county that builds on and updates the existing database maintained by DMHS. This database will be password protected, allowing for access by both DMHS representatives and the county mental health administrators. Additionally, the application process and other functions will be provided on-line in continued efforts to build an effective knowledge/learning management structure.