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Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT April 16, 2004 "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government;
that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights." - Thomas JeffersonTHERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTER NEXT WEEK DUE TO THE CONFERENCE "CRISES IN RURAL AMERICA".
PUBLICATION WILL RESUME ON APRIL 30
Short Subjects
LINKS Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
CRISES IN RURAL AMERICA
Crisis Interventions And
Critical Incident Stress Management:
Current Status and Future Directions
April 21-24, 2004
Casper, Wyoming
Registration: 1-800-442-2963 ext 2212
27th National AACBT Conference
(Australian Association for
Cognitive and Behavior Therapy)
May 15 - 19, 2004
Location: Perth, Western Australia
AUSTRALIA
3rd Annual Hawaii
International Conference on Social Sciences
June 16 - 19, 2004
Location: Honolulu Hawaii, USA
Contact: social@hicsocial.orgSociety for the Psychological Study of
Social Issues (SPSSI) Convention
June 25 - 27, 2004
Location: Washington, DC, USA
17th Congress of the International Association
of Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP)
August 2 - 6, 2004
Location: Xi'an, CHINA
Contact: Zheng Gang
Institute of Psychology
Chinese Academy of Sciences
100101 Beijing, China
Email: iaccp2004@psych.ac.cnSixth International Conference of
the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2004):
"Embracing Diversity in the Learning Sciences"
June 22 - 26, 2004
Location: Santa Monica, California, USA
International Society of Political Psychology
27th Annual Scientific Meeting
July, 15-18, 2004
Location: Lund, Sweden
62nd Annual Conference of the
International Council of Psychologists
August 3 - 6, 2004
Location: University of Jinan
Jinan, CHINA
Contact: Dr. Natividad Dayan
Scientific Chair
99 General Ave
GSIS Village, Project 8
Quezon City, Metro Manila
01108 PHILIPPINES Telephone: 632-724-5358
Email: bereps@pacific.net.phXXVIII International Congress of Psychology
August 8 - 13, 2004
Location: Beijing, CHINA
Contact: XiaoLan FU, Deputy Director
Committee for International Cooperation
Chinese Psychological Society
Institute of Psychology
Chinese Academy of Sciences
P.O. Box 1603
Beijing 100101, China
Telephome: +86-10-6202-2071
Fax: +86-10-6202-2070
22nd Nordic Congress of Psychology:
"Psychology in a World of Change and Diversity -
Challenges for our Profession"
August 18 -20, 2004
Location: Copenhagen, DENMARK
Contact: Roal Ulrichsen, Chair
NPK2004 Organizing Committee
Danish Psychological Association
Stokholmsgade 27, DK-2100
Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Email: bh@vanhauen.dk
UN assessment mission sent to flood stricken area of Horn of Africa
A United Nation assessment mission has been sent to a flood-stricken area in the East African country of Djibouti, where heavy seasonal rains in recent days are reported to have killed 51 people, left 1,500 homeless and affected over 100,000. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10414&Cr=Djibouti&Cr1=
UN agency warns against any early declaration of victory over deadly bird flu
Warning against any early declaration of victory in the battle against the Asian bird flu epidemic that has so far resulted in nearly two dozen human fatalities and the deaths or culling of more than 100 million birds, the United Nations agricultural agency stressed the need for cooperation to ensure the virus is really under control. "The crisis is still not over," the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a joint statement with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). "In countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, further outbreaks could still flare up. The virus could spread again within and between countries. As long as the H5N1 virus is not fully under control, the potential threat to human health remains." For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10133&Cr=bird&Cr1=flu
Regional groups should play bigger role in aiding small island States: UN official
The role of regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Pacific Islands Forum in the economic development of the world's small island nations should be enhanced because they understand the situation more than international organizations, a senior United Nations official said today. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10397&Cr=small&Cr1=island
Negotiators plan for major UN meeting to address needs of small island States
To be credible, the international community must focus on the needs of the world's poorest countries, the Secretary-General of an upcoming major United Nations meeting on the special needs of island nations said today as negotiators wrapped up three days of talks in preparation for that event. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10428&Cr=small&Cr1=island
UN meeting criticizes impact of Israel's construction of wall in the West Bank A United Nations meeting on the impact of Israel's construction of a barrier in and around the West Bank concluded with delegates expressing their deep concern about its humanitarian, political and economic effect on the Palestinians. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10429&Cr=palestin&Cr1=
UN refugee agency ‘extremely concerned’ at reported unrest in central Viet Nam
The United Nations refugee agency today voiced “extreme concern” about reports this week of renewed unrest in Viet Nam's Central Highlands and strongly urged neighbouring Cambodia to ensure that any refugees fleeing the area be given access to protection. "Although we have no way of confirming the reports, we are very aware of the possibility that some people may try to seek protection in neighbouring Cambodia," Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a press briefing in Geneva, noting that Cambodian authorities had ordered the agency to close its office on the border. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10415&Cr=viet&Cr1=nam
BUILDING DEMOCRACIES, ESTABLISHING STRONG REGIONAL LEADERS HELP TO PREVENT CONFLICT
Building democracies even on rocky soil, promoting strong regional leaders and maintaining long-standing arms control treaties together create the best odds for avoiding international conflict, according to a Penn State political scientist. "Our research going back a decade shows that liberal democracies, while they have often waged war against dictatorships, do not go to war with each other," says D. Scott Bennett, professor of political science and co-author of the book "The Behavioral Origins of War," recently published by the University of Michigan Press. To Bennett, the research suggests that democracy-building initiatives, even in regions like the Middle East with little or no democratic traditions, could help bring peace in the long run. Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/6406
STUDY DEBUNKS ETHICS MANAGEMENT MYTHS
The process of managing ethical behavior in corporate settings has been undermined by oversimplified responses that fuel common myths that do not hold up under greater scrutiny, according to Penn State researchers. In an article for the journal Academy of Management Executive, Linda Klebe Trevino, of Penn State's Smeal College of Business, and Michael E. Brown, of Penn State Erie's Sam and Irene Black School of Business, address the myths that it's easy to be ethical; unethical behavior in business is simply the result of "bad apples"; managing ethics can be accomplished through formal ethics codes and programs; ethical leadership is mostly about leader integrity; and people are less ethical than they used to be. Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/6370
UN anti-narcotics chief says community consensus needed to curb drug abuse
The head of the United Nations anti-narcotics agency stressed the importance of preventive and therapeutic action before drug abuse becomes a health, social and financial burden. "Every dollar invested in treatment and prevention saves a multiple - $7 to $10 - for drug-related crime and health costs," Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), told the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, an annual gathering of grass-roots and volunteer organizations involved in efforts to reduce drug abuse and its impact on societies worldwide. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10392&Cr=drug&Cr1=abuse
Water, sanitation, housing focus of UN development commission's annual session
With more than half of the hospital beds in the world filled with people afflicted by water-related illnesses, and 3 million to 4 million people dying each year from waterborne diseases, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) will turn the spotlight of its annual session on water, sanitation and human settlements, the meeting's chairman said. For Full Story, Go To: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10409&Cr=sustainable&Cr1=development
THE MEDICAL MINUTE: BUGGED BY MOSQUITOES?
What's that buzzing noise? Believe it or not, mosquito season is already here again. Why do we even need mosquitoes? What purpose do these pesky insects serve? According to the latest edition of the Medical Minute, a service of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in the grand scheme of biology, mosquitoes are an important food source for other insects and birds, and fish eat their larvae. Of course, these pests also are a nuisance and can carry disease, such as West Nile virus, so some caution is necessary when we spend time outside. Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/6432
CRISES IN RURAL AMERICA
Crisis Interventions And Critical Incident Stress Management:
Current Status and Future DirectionsApril 21-24, 2004
Casper College Campus
Casper, WY24.5 Contact Hours + POST
CEUs Approved - Wyoming Psychological AssociationConference Web Page is located at:
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/rural-conference.htmlList of Presenters and Presentations is located at:
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/rural-presenters.htmlConference will take place on campus of Casper College
TO REGISTER,
After April 15, Register On Site
CALL: 1-800-442-2963 Ext 2212 or 307-268-2212
Fax: 307-268-2224
Early Bird Fee - Prior to April 9, 2004: $175; Student: $90; One Day: $75
Late Fee or Onsite: $200; Student: $110; One Day: $90HOTEL: Holiday Inn,
$61/night
Reserve by April 6, 2004
Mention Conference name or Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute
CALL: 1-877-576-8636 or 307-235-2531
Fax: 307-473-3110
RESILIENCE AND VULNERABILITY IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
Resilience can be taken to to the capacity of a group or organization to withstand loss or damage or to recover from the impact of an emergency or disaster. Vulnerability is a broad measure of the susceptibility to suffer loss or damage.
The higher the resilience, the less likely damage may be, and the faster and more effective recovery is likely to be. Conversely, the higher vulnerability is, the more exposed to loss and damage is the household, community or organization.
A resilience and vulnerability profile is an integral element of effective planning in the management of consequences to a community in an emergency or disaster. With such a profile, it is possible to:
• identify the strengths of particular areas, communities or groups in terms of such things as resources, skills, networks and community agencies. These strengths and local capabilities may be used, and be further developed, to minimize the negative consequences of an emergency or disaster through being used to support prevention activities or by supporting recovery activities.• identify vulnerabilities of particular areas, communities or groups so that these can be managed in terms of prevention and preparedness activities, response activities and recovery programs. By identifying the risks and vulnerabilities prior to events, it will give local managers the opportunity to plan to avoid or to minimize the negative consequences of emergencies and disasters.
Resilience and vulnerability assessment is but one aspect of community profiling and local emergency management planning.
In general, the following suggested guidelines could be useful for local community or governmental agencies:
1. ensure that in an emergency management context that they can identify individuals, families and groups who may be at greatest risk or most threatened by hazards.2. ensure that needs which may arise after emergencies can be planned for, either in terms of prevention, in terms of priority attention in life threatening situations or in terms of assistance to support recovery from an emergency or disaster.
3. identify local and community strengths - these may include resources, skills, information and networks which can be used to develop and sustain resilience.
4. ensure that in the context of wide area and other types of emergencies and disasters, local government and agencies can work to ensure that communities and individuals have access to information which will assist their levels of resilience should the physical, social and commercial infrastructure and arrangements be temporarily disrupted.
5. support municipal emergency management processes and provide support and advice for municipalities in emergency management planning.
Resilience and vulnerability assessment is a process that is a necessary component of effective emergency management planning.
However, it is unlikely that any assessment, or community audit, will capture every potential need or identify every person who, in some circumstance, may be exposed to a risk or to the possibility of some loss.
This suggests that following an emergency or disaster it will be necessary to scan the affected area, through information campaigns, outreach programs, letter box drops, and other methods, to identify people who require assistance.
Any resilience and vulnerability analysis needs to be conducted with sensitivity and proper regard for people's privacy. This includes their right not to provide information. Additionally, due regard must be paid to the legal and other requirements of maintaining appropriate standards of confidentiality when dealing with information from the public.
This information can be used as guidelines to assist planning by community members, emergency managers, etc. engaged in emergency prevention or response or recovery activities. It can be used by emergency managers from any level of community or organizational level as well.
Conducting a resilience and vulnerability analysis is not an end in itself. The purpose behind such activity is to highlight issues, needs and concerns and to work to effect a change - to improve resilience and/or to reduce vulnerability.
Issues
In terms of individual, group and community issues which support resilience and reduce vulnerability, there are some relevant broad principles to consider:
• We are aware from the experience of many events that the affected community(s) will expect to contribute to their own recovery. If denied an opportunity, they may establish their own structures and processes to achieve that end. It is paramount, therefore, to support community involvement. Successful management of the consequences is not possible without community commitment and involvement.• It is useful to set out community issues in these terms because it places them in a management and operational framework. Issues of resilience, vulnerability and need are expressed in terms in which they can be operationalized and dealt with in a practical way.
• These issues are a broad characterization of the types of assistance and support that individuals and groups may require after a significant emergency or disaster. They are a way of thinking about service provision in management and operational terms rather than simply in terms of the particular assistance measure.
Information
• Information and advice about assistance measures and how to access them, including eligibility conditions and application procedures.• The normal biopsychosocial reactions which can be expected and how they can deal and cope with these reactions in themselves, members of their family and their community.
• How to make sense of the event in terms of its cause and fitting it into their "view" of the world.
Resources
• Financial assistance where eligible to help restore losses. This may include, where appropriate, grants, loans, and insurance.• Physical goods such as temporary accommodation, essential household items, temporary public transport, tools, etc.
Management Capacity
• Time and opportunity e.g. to undertake recovery activities.• Physical capacity e.g. which may include the support of other people, machinery, or other support where there is a particular need.
• Access to services e.g. through establishing support systems, locating service centers close to affected areas or access in terms of translator, interpreter, or other language and media services.
• Expertise e.g. access to specialist services such as tradesmen, financial counselors, and other professional services.
Support
• Personal support e.g. outreach services, personal advisors and counselors, specialist support services, advocates and gatekeepers.• Community support e.g. community development officers, etc.
Involvement
• Consultation in developing and implementing assistance and recovery programs.• Encouragement in making a contribution to policy and program development.
• Engagement in monitoring and auditing the progress of recovery.
Vulnerable Groups
Below is a list of groups of people who may have special needs following an event. It is not an exhaustive list. However, these are groups traditionally accepted as being vulnerable. It is important to understand that the aged, for example, are not vulnerable because they are aged. They may be vulnerable because they may have reduced mobility or be frail - impediments that some young people share.
These vulnerabilities may be countered in part by strengths and other capabilities. For example, the aged may have greater life experience to draw from, they may have a wide network of family and friends, or they may have a personal strength drawn from many years of battling through life.
These groups are generalizations. They are broad groupings of possible needs. More importantly, however, they are an indication that there may be a potential need or vulnerability which needs to be addressed in emergency management planning.
The listing below is directed at individuals or small groups. There may be larger socioeconomic categories or groups whose potential or actual strengths and weaknesses should be assessed. Farmers and ranchers, small businesses, local groups or associations may all have special and significant needs that separate them in some clear way from other members of their community.
Communities and agencies may be vulnerable to loss and damage from emergencies or disasters. A similar process of assessing elements of vulnerability and resilience and evaluating capability can be undertaken for communities and agencies as is undertaken for assessing the vulnerability and resilience of individuals, families, households, and groups.
It is important to emphasize in the vulnerability assessment that vulnerabilities and needs may change over time. Needs may be significantly less in terms of numbers of people and the urgency of the need after a few hours than after days or weeks. For example, the loss of a water supply may be trivial for an hour or two, but for much longer than that it has the potential to affect the whole population in a critical way.
Time of year may also be an important factor in assessing vulnerability and, hence, potential. Loss of heating in summer is less significant than it is in winter. Likewise, loss of refrigeration in winter may be less critical than in summer.
VULNERABLE GROUPS1. Aged (particularly the frail)• In terms of mobility and physical capacity.2. Very young
• In terms of managing their own lives and recovery and in terms of understanding the event.3. Disabled (mental and physical)
* In terms of managing their own recovery and in getting access to information and resources.4. Poor people with limited resources to meet essential needs
• In terms of having the financial and physical resources to achieve recovery or to protect themselves against loss through, for example, insurance.5. Non-English Speakers
• In terms of understanding the potential risks and in gaining access to information.6. Socially isolated
• In terms of having family or friends that can provide personal and physical support.7. Physically isolated
• In terms of having easy, cheap and fast access to resources or in terms of being able to call upon resistance from other members of the community or from agencies.8. Seriously ill
• In terms of already being in need and having a very low capacity to carry out protective or recovery activity.9. People dependent on technology based life support systems.
• In terms of being dependent on systems over which they have no control.10. Large families
• In terms of complex family needs and dynamics and increased costs for prevention and recovery.11. Single parent families
• In terms of having to manage a range of demands with limited support.12. Workers at risk from machinery/equipment failure
• In terms of potential severity of injury.13. People with limited coping capacity.
• In terms of low or reduced capacity to manage life events.14. People with inadequate accommodation
• In terms of being already in difficult circumstances and with existing high levels of need and support.15. Those on holiday and traveling (particularly campers and motor home travelers).
• In terms of being absent from their own communities and resources.16. Tourists from overseas
• In terms of being in an unfamiliar environment with little knowledge of how to access resources and support.17. People with marginal coping capacity
• People with limited personal capacity to deal with stress and disruption, with limited economic resources or who have previously experienced significant stress, trauma, or loss in their lives may be tipped over the margins of successful life management or day to day coping by loss, damage or threat to life, safety, property or income caused by an emergency or disaster.18. People affected by an emergency
• In terms of needs (medical, psychological, material, etc.) generated by the event.Once the vulnerability assessment has been undertaken, the results will identify special needs which can be directly addressed as part of the local emergency management process. The results of the assessment should directly inform the process of planning, prevention and preparedness and may be made available to individuals, groups, communities and agencies to assist them with their local activity.
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REFERENCES
To search for books on disasters and disaster mental
health topics, leaders, leadership, orgainizations,
crisis intervention, leaders and crises, and related
topics and purchase them online, go to the following url:
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
RECOMMENDED READING
Living with the Boogeyman : Helping Your Child Cope with Fear, Terrorism, and Living in a World ofUncertainty
by Richard Bromfield
Excellent Crisis and TraumaText, March 29, 2001
About the Author
Richard Bromfield, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and the author of Playing for Real and Handle with Care. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
Book Description
A Reassuring Guide to Parenting in Troubled Times Boys and girls have always worried about the monsters—the boogeymen—that their imaginations create out of normal fears and the angst of growing up. The terrifying events since September 11, however, have added a dimension of disturbing reality to their monster fears. That's why now, more than ever, your children need strong, committed, and wise parenting.
Additional Readings at:
Also try looking here for September 11, 2001: A Simple Account for Children.
Videos on Terrorism
Other videos about terrorism
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Contact your local Mental Health Center or
check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists,
therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in
your area for further information.
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Copyrighted and published by the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute. No part of this document may be reproduced without written consent.The Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Newsletter is published online weekly by:
Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute, Inc.
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786
Newsletter Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
Institute Home Page: https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odoc/rocky.html
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