Trauma, loss, violence and how to help people through these and other psychological minefields is what health professionals and first responders will learn at the seventh annual Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health Conference. The conference will be held on July 16 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St., in downtown Omaha.
“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.”
Breakfast keynote speaker at the conference will be Roosevelt Clérismé, M.D., a native of Haiti, who will discuss the mental health system in Haiti and the effects of the earthquake.
Also presenting at the conference are James Cawood, president of Factor One, who will address workplace violence training and risk assessment, and Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., who will discuss understanding and supporting children in times of crisis and loss. Other presenters include Amy Hudnall, who will discuss professional quality of life, and Lawrence Rosenfeld, Ph.D., who will talk about ethical issues in disaster response.
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 Nebraska Medical Response System, the Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System and Lincoln 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. Registration after that date is $55. To register for the conference, visit www.disastermh.nebraska.edu call Janell Walther at 402-472-5678.
As the state’s only academic health science center, UNMC is on the leading edge of health care. Breakthroughs are possible because hard-working researchers, educators and clinicians are resolved to work together to fuel discovery. In 2009, UNMC’s extramural research support topped $100 million for the first time, resulting in the creation of 3,600 jobs in Nebraska. UNMC’s academic excellence is shown through its award-winning programs, and its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its 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 health care centers. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 550 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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