Citation

Homish GG, Frazer BS, McCartan DP, Billittier AJ. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2010; 4(4): 326-331.

Affiliation

Dr Homish is assistant professor, Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, State University of New York-Buffalo; Ms Frazer is the mental health emergency planning coordinator, Metropolitan Medical Response System; Mr McCartan is an EMH volunteer with the WNY Stress Reduction Program, Metropolitan Medical Response System and the American Red Cross, Dr Billittier is the Commissioner of Health, Erie County, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1001/dmp.2010.33

PMID

21149235

Abstract

Emergency mental health (EMH), a field that is often not well represented when considering emergency preparedness, is nonetheless a vital component to any disaster response. Emergency mental health issues must be considered not only for victims of disasters and their families, friends, and coworkers but also for both on-scene and off-scene responders and members of the community who may have witnessed the disaster. This article describes the EMH preparation for and response to the crash of Continental Airlines flight 3407 in western New York on February 12, 2009, killing all 49 crew and passengers on board and 1 person on the ground. It describes aspects of the response that went as planned and highlights areas for improvement. The lessons learned from this EMH preparation and response can be used to inform future planning for disaster response.

Language: en