Navigating Uncertainty: Best Practices in Disaster Behavioral Health

SAMHSA DTAC meets with two disaster behavioral health experts with the State of Colorado: Dr. Curt Drennen, Disaster Behavioral Health and Community Recovery Branch Chief, and Aimee Voth Siebert, Disaster Behavioral Health and Inclusion Program Manager. Discussion addresses how to make the case within your organization for greater DEIA, real-life examples of infusing DEIA into disaster behavioral health efforts, lessons learned from addressing the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic posed, inclusivity frameworks, and fostering partnerships.

SAMHSA DTAC talks with Roger Williams, owner of Hands On Interpreting, LLC, a private practice specializing in consulting and training related to the needs of deaf adults in the mental health system and former Executive Director of the Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center employed by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Discussion covers best practices for meeting the disaster response needs of the whole community and all of its languages, using data in support of DEIA in disaster behavioral health, and how areas experiencing disaster can ensure they are reaching special populations and addressing their needs.

SAMHSA DTAC speaks with Curtis Brown, former Chief Deputy State Coordinator of Emergency Management at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, current Visiting Senior Practitioner in Residence at Virginia Commonwealth University, and co-founder of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management. DTAC and Brown discuss how to engage historically marginalized communities in disaster planning, the role of cultural and linguistic factors in disaster behavioral health preparedness, and how to use technology to promote DEIA in disaster behavioral health.

SAMHSA DTAC talks with Dr. Carla S. Perkins, Founder and CEO of Abounding Joy Counseling and Wellness Services in Indiana, about key concepts and definitions, including the components of DEIA, cultural competence, historical trauma, and racial disparities, as well as the importance of building DEIA into doctrines and guidelines for disaster behavioral health.