2 results
Guided Preparedness Planning with Lay Communities: Enhancing Capacity of Rural Emergency Response Through a Systems-Based Partnership
- O.Lee McCabe, Charlene Perry, Melissa Azur, Henry G. Taylor, Howard Gwon, Adrian Mosley, Natalie Semon, Jonathan M. Links
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 28 / Issue 1 / February 2013
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 November 2012, pp. 8-15
- Print publication:
- February 2013
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Introduction
Community disaster preparedness plans, particularly those with content that would mitigate the effects of psychological trauma on vulnerable rural populations, are often nonexistent or underdeveloped. The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate a model of disaster mental health preparedness planning involving a partnership among three, key stakeholders in the public health system.
MethodsA one-group, post-test, quasi-experimental design was used to assess outcomes as a function of an intervention designated Guided Preparedness Planning (GPP). The setting was the eastern-, northern-, and mid-shore region of the state of Maryland. Partner participants were four local health departments (LHDs), 100 faith-based organizations (FBOs), and one academic health center (AHC)—the latter, collaborating entities of the Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System. Individual participants were 178 community residents recruited from counties of the above-referenced geographic area. Effectiveness of GPP was based on post-intervention assessments of trainee knowledge, skills, and attitudes supportive of community disaster mental health planning. Inferences about the practicability (feasibility) of the model were drawn from pre-defined criteria for partner readiness, willingness, and ability to participate in the project. Additional aims of the study were to determine if LHD leaders would be willing and able to generate post-project strategies to perpetuate project-initiated government/faith planning alliances (sustainability), and to develop portable methods and materials to enhance model application and impact in other health jurisdictions (scalability).
ResultsThe majority (95%) of the 178 lay citizens receiving the GPP intervention and submitting complete evaluations reported that planning-supportive objectives had been achieved. Moreover, all criteria for inferring model feasibility, sustainability, and scalability were met.
ConclusionsWithin the span of a six-month period, LHDs, FBOs, and AHCs can work effectively to plan, implement, and evaluate what appears to be an effective, practical, and durable model of capacity building for public mental health emergency planning.
. ,McCabe OL ,Perry C ,Azur M ,Taylor HG ,Gwon H ,Mosley A ,Semon N .Links JM Guided Preparedness Planning with Lay Communities: Enhancing Capacity of Rural Emergency Response Through a Systems-Based Partnership . Prehosp Disaster Med.2012 ;28 (1 ):1-8
Psychological First-Aid Training for Paraprofessionals: A Systems-Based Model for Enhancing Capacity of Rural Emergency Responses
- O. Lee McCabe, Charlene Perry, Melissa Azur, Henry G. Taylor, Mark Bailey, Jonathan M. Links
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 26 / Issue 4 / August 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 October 2011, pp. 251-258
- Print publication:
- August 2011
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Introduction: Ensuring the capacity of the public health, emergency preparedness system to respond to disaster-related need for mental health services is a challenge, particularly in rural areas in which the supply of responders with relevant expertise rarely matches the surge of demand for services.
Problem: This investigation established and evaluated a systems-based partnership model for recruiting, training, and promoting official recognition of community residents as paraprofessional members of the Maryland Medical Professional Volunteer Corps. The partners were leaders of local health departments (LHDs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), and an academic health center (AHC).
Methods: A one-group, quasi-experimental research design, using both post-test only and pre-/post-test assessments, was used to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, and impact of the overall program and of a one-day workshop in Psychological First Aid (PFA) for Paraprofessionals. The training was applied to and evaluated for 178 citizens drawn from 120 Christian parishes in four local health jurisdictions in rural Maryland.
Results: Feasibility—The model was demonstrated to be practicable, as measured by specific criteria to quantify partner readiness, willingness, and ability to collaborate and accomplish project aims. Effectiveness—The majority (93–99%) of individual participants “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that, as a result of the intervention, they understood the conceptual content of PFA and were confident about (“perceived self-efficacy”) using PFA techniques with prospective disaster survivors. Impact—Following PFA training, 56 of the 178 (31.5%) participants submitted same-day applications to be paraprofessional responders in the Volunteer Corps. The formal acceptance of citizens who typically do not possess licensure in a health profession reflects a project-engendered policy change by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Conclusions: These findings are consistent with the conclusion that it is feasible to consider LHDs, FBOs, and AHCs as partners to work effectively within the span of a six-month period to design, promote, conduct, and evaluate a model of capacity/capability building for public mental health emergency response based on a professional “extender” rationale. Moreover, consistently high levels of perceived self-efficacy as PFA responders can be achieved with lay members of the community who receive a specially-designed, one-day training program in crisis intervention and referral strategies for disaster survivors.