For the sixth year, health professionals, chaplains, and first responders will get together to learn about the psychological aspects of dealing with disasters, during the Nebraska Behavioral Health Conference on July 17, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St., in downtown Omaha.
Conference attendees will learn about characteristics of adolescent and adult mass murderers, how children react when their parent is sent on a military deployment, and other important discussion topics.
“The training provided at the conference has become increasingly important to all responders, not just behavioral health responders,” said Robin Zagurski, a social worker in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Psychiatry and one of the conference planners. “There is an increasing awareness that an effective response includes attending to the psychological needs of both survivors and responders.”
The Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health conference will be opened by Scot Adams, Ph.D., head of the Division of Behavioral Health at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, who will introduce the new state-wide Behavioral Health Emergency Response Team. Nebraska is the second state in the nation to form a behavioral health emergency response team available to respond to state-wide emergencies.
Also presenting at the conference will be Steve Crimando, who will address the pandemic flu response and business continuity issues. J. Reid Meloy, Ph.D., will provide training on threat assessment issues of adult and adolescent mass murders. Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., will address working with children in military families who have a parent that is deployed. Fran Norris, Ph.D., a premier researcher, will explain how to evaluate the effectiveness of disaster mental health programs. Lastly, Robert Snarr will discuss Utah’s response to the mine disaster and Trolley Square shootings, as well as planning for the Olympics.
The conference is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, the UNMC Department of Psychiatry, BryanLGH Medical Center, the Southeast Medical Response System and the Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System.
“Disaster behavioral health requires specialized training,” 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.”
The fee to attend the conference is $45 if received by July 2. Any registrations received after that date will be charged $55. To register for the conference, visit www.disastermh.nebraska.edu or call Janell Walther at 402-472-5678.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu .
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