The terrorist bombings in London last week sent a chilling reminder to all of us that the threat of terrorism continues to exist.
For the third consecutive year, area mental health professionals will get together to look at the psychological aspects of dealing with disasters, as more than 200 people are expected to attend the Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health Conference on July 14-15 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St., in downtown Omaha.
The conference is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services, the UNMC department of psychiatry, BryanLGH Medical Center, NEBHANDS, Interchurch Ministries, Chabad House, and the Lincoln and Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response Systems.
“The London bombings really made people stop and think,” said Robin Zagurski, a social worker in the UNMC department of psychiatry and one of the conference planners. “It had been nearly four years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and I’m sure many people had become less concerned with the threat of terrorism. The London bombings just reinforced that terrorism is probably something that we will be dealing with the rest of our lives.”
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman will deliver the welcoming remarks at the conference, which will feature presentations by seven leading experts in disaster and crisis behavioral health as well as a panel discussion.
Zagurski said people exposed to disasters have a four times greater risk of suffering mental health problems than people exposed to lesser traumatic events.
If not treated, people exposed to disasters can eventually wind up with serious psychiatric problems, such as post traumatic stress syndrome, she said.
“Just because you’ve been exposed to a disaster doesn’t mean you will be damaged by it, but you will be changed by it,” said Zagurski, who spent two weeks in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, providing mental health assistance to families.
She said disaster mental health programs began in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew struck in Florida. “Now, mental health is becoming an increasingly important part of any disaster management program,” she said. “This is the third straight year that Nebraska has hosted this conference. In essence, we have become the national center for this conference. We are truly making a niche for our state.”
Zagurski said the conference is an example of how state agencies in Nebraska work together with the academic and private sectors to educate people on developing areas of public concern, such as bioterrorism.
Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., J.D., associate professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and psychiatry consultant to the Army Surgeon General, will deliver the keynote address, “Assessment and Mitigation of Psychological Reactions to Disaster, Terrorism and War.”
Other speakers at the conference and their topics will include:
- Kermit Crawford, Ph.D., director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health, Boston University School of Medicine, “Disaster Substance Abuse Treatment: The Myth, Method and the Reality.”
- Bruce Young, disaster services coordinator, National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, “A Way of Change: An Integrated Cognitive-Behavioral Approach.”
- Rabbi Manis Friedman, dean, Chana Institute of Jewish Studies, “The Care and Treatment of Observant Jews in a Time of Crisis.”
- Ron Edmond, senior technical specialist, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, “Risk and Crisis Communication.”
- Elaine Enarson, Ph.D., lecturer, sociology and women’s studies, University of Colorado, “Gender and Disaster: Making the Connection in Practice.”
- Malia Robinson, Ph.D., independent consultant, “Focus on Resiliency in the Psychosocial Support of Children in Crisis.”
The conference will conclude with a panel discussion dealing with some of the lessons learned from the tornado in southeast Nebraska in May 2004.
For the first time, Zagurski said the conference is offering national continuing education credits. This means that continuing education credits can be given to anyone who attends, even if they live outside Nebraska. Cost to attend the conference is $50. For more information, contact Cynthia Woollam, (402) 472-5678.