University of South Florida Behavioral Health Concerns and Trauma Discussion

Special Project Title: First Responders: Behavioral Health Concerns and trauma during and after a natural, biological and man-made disaster.

Foundational and/or Concentration Competencies:

Concentration:

• Use technical knowledge and skill for the recognition, evaluation, risk assessment, and prevention or control of environmental hazards and human health problems.

Foundational:

• Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health.
• Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue.
• Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.
• Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
• Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.

Deliverables:

• Review natural, biological and man-made disasters that have disrupted the Public Health system.
• Review systems that are in place to provide care to those that suffer from behavioral health issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other disorders due to natural, biological and man-made disasters.
• Review services that are in place to provide care to first responders that suffer from behavioral health issues, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other disorders due to events that have occurred such as, natural, biological and man-made disasters
• Are the services that are offered to this subset of the population, effective? And if so, is there data.
• An increase in behavioral health services will be needed to help first responders that have been in the front lines fighting this pandemic. What services can be offered to ensure these individuals recover and can continue to provide services to the communities they serve.

Abstract:

It has been very evident, especially lately as the world grapples with the COVID-19 Pandemic, the work- related exposures to natural and human caused disasters that first responders encounter. We remember the aftermath of 9/11 and the direct exposure to injury, death, grief, pain, loss of human life and the long hours of work as they were all of the sudden separated from their families. According to SAMHSA It is estimated that 30 percent of first responders develop behavioral health conditions including, but not limited to, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as compared with 20 percent in the general population (Abbot et al., 2015). Now, more than ever in the COVID-19 era, first responders are feeling an overwhelming disruption to their communities, families, social, physical and economic sustainability. Without a good system in place that can effectively respond to disasters and the after-math of disasters that could be attributed to natural, biological and man-made, our public health system can and will crumble. Protecting the populations health and those providing services for the well-being of those communities is a vital part of protecting the health of the people.