CHA News

New Resources Help Meet Serious Mental Illness Needs in Disasters

Emergency planning should consider strategies focused on mental health

This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a series of resources intended to help providers incorporate, in their disaster planning, strategies to care for patients with serious mental illness.

Resources include:

  • Practical suggestions and strategies from the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services
  • A fact sheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
  • National standards from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • A disaster planning guide from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health
  • Considerations for moving or evacuating psychiatric patients, developed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
  • An initiative that offers clinical support for serious mental illness