Category: mental health

Protecting Our Future: Emergency Preparedness and Children’s Mental Health

Sad boy sitting against a brick wall with his face hidden

Among the many lessons learned during the 2017 Hurricane season, we recognized that addressing children’s mental and behavioral health needs is a major concern in hurricane-affected areas. CDC’s At Risk Task Force (ARTF) was established in 2017 to ensure identification and prioritization of the mental and physical health needs of at-risk populations, including children. ARTF’s Read More >

October 9, 2018 by Jessica Franks, MPH, CHES, Health Communications Fellow, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Rebecca Leeb, PhD, Acting Team Lead, Children’s Preparedness Unit, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Amy Wolkin, DrPH, MSPH, Vulnerable Populations Officer, Center for Preparedness and Response4 Comments

mental health, natural disasters, public health, response

At Risk Task Force, behavioral health, children, disaster, emergency, emergency response, Hurricane Harvey, mental health, world mental health day

Using Trauma-Informed Care to Guide Emergency Preparedness and Response

Image of the destruction left behind by Hurricane Irma

Exposure to a traumatic event or set of circumstances can negatively affect a person’s mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being for a long time after the initial incident. We know that not all individuals respond to trauma in the same way and we know that individuals with a history of trauma, especially childhood trauma, Read More >

July 9, 2018 by Amy Wolkin, DrPH, Vulnerable Population Officer, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, CDC; and Anita Everett, MD, Chief Medical Officer, SAMSHA8 Comments

General, mental health, natural disasters, public health, response

emergency responders, mental health, psychological trauma, trauma, trauma-informed care