The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education, Chapel Hill, NC
Join us at this regional conference to bring together diverse public and private organizations from the southeast to introduce the new Behavioral Health All-Hazards Readiness and Response Training Continuum.
The conference offers a range of evidence-based trainings to develop and sustain the skills of community-based disaster responders to be aware of and to address the psychosocial consequences of man-made and natural disasters. Beginning with awareness training, the continuum progresses through basic behavioral health for all responders, advanced skills for behavioral health responders, and refresher online short courses to enhance and sustain skills over time. The need for this training has been well established in recent disasters and will also be vital to pandemic influenza preparations. Conference attendees will receive a copy of all three Continuum training programs.
The conference features:
- Nationally-recognized speaker, Dr. Brian Flynn, EdD, Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences
- Orientation to the Training Continuum
- Break-out sessions to identify strategies for implementing this training
This is a collaborative effort of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the NC Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services, and the NC Area Health Education Centers. The Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides partial support for this conference.
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Conference goal
Disseminate the best-practice curriculum to those who are responsible for training staff and volunteers to effectively respond to culturally diverse populations and practice self-care during a disaster
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Conference objectives
- Clarify the need for all-hazards behavioral health training for all disaster responders
- Understand the benefits of consistently utilizing the multi-faceted training continuum to strengthen and sustain responder’s skills over time
- Initiate development of implementation plans at the organizational, local, and/or state levels
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Who should attend?
State and local agencies and the private sector who want to enhance their response capacity to meet the needs of diverse populations in times of disaster, including behavioral health, public health, emergency management, healthcare, emergency medical services, education, and faith- and community-based organizations. This conference is most relevant for people who train responders and for those responsible for planning and implementing disaster relief. Participants will be introduced to the training materials and will be given a set of those materials to use in establishing and disseminating training, when they return home.
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Agenda
8:00 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 am
Welcome
Teme M. Levbarg, PhD, MSW, Conference Co-Director, North Carolina Institute for Public Health, Office of Continuing Education
9:10
Keynote address on the need for behavioral health training for all responders
Brian W. Flynn, EdD, Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University
10:10
Panel discussion on framing the need for behavioral health training for all responders from diverse perspectives
Panel Moderator: Brian W. Flynn, EdD
Panelists:
Jack Herrmann, MSEd, NCC, LMHC, Senior Advisor, Public Health Preparedness , National Association of County and City Health Officials
Luke Smith, MD, Executive Director and Staff Psychiatrist, El Futuro, Inc.
Lynn Lathan, RS, Environmental Health Supervisor, Mecklenburg County Health Department
10:45
Break
11:00
Training Continuum – Overview of the Curriculum and Level One Awareness Training
Carol Gunther-Mohr, MA, Conference Co-Director, Center for Public Health Practice, North Carolina Institute for Public Health
Lynda Flage, PhD, MPH, TKC, Contractor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Radiation Studies Branch
11:25
Training Continuum – Level Two and Three Skill Development
Sheryl Pacelli, MEd, Director of Mental Health/Public Health, South East Area Health Education Center
Joanna Forester, LCSW, Disaster Coordinator, NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services
11:50
Training Continuum – Level Four Sustaining Skills
Carol Gunther-Mohr, MA
12:00 pm
Training Continuum – Question and Answer Session
12:15
Networking Lunch
1:00
Breakout Sessions – Building Strategies for Engaging Others
2:00
Break
2:15 pm
General Session – Facilitators Report on Promising Strategies
2:30
Closing Remarks
Brian W. Flynn, EdD
3:15
Conference Wrap-up and Evaluation
3:30
Adjourn
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About keynote speaker Brian W. Flynn, EdD
Brian Flynn is a consultant, writer, trainer, and speaker specializing in preparation for response to and recovery from the psychosocial aspects of large-scale emergencies and disasters. He has served numerous national and international organizations, states, and academic institutions. He currently serves as an Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Maryland.
On January 1, 2002, he left Federal service as a Rear Admiral/Assistant Surgeon General in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). He has directly operated and supervised the operation of the federal government’s domestic disaster mental health program (including terrorism), programs in suicide and youth violence prevention, child trauma, refugee mental health, women’s and minority mental health concerns and rural mental health. He has served as an advisor to many federal departments and agencies, states and national professional organizations. He is recognized internationally for his expertise in large-scale trauma and has served as an advisor to practitioners, academicians and government officials in many nations.
He is the author of many publications in the area of human response to both natural and human-caused disasters and is a frequent contributor on these topics in both print and electronic media. During his career, he has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the prestigious Health Leader of the Year Award for 2000 awarded by the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Association and the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest honor of the USPHS.
He received his B.A. from North Carolina Wesleyan College, his M.A. in Clinical Psychology from East Carolina University and his Ed.D. in Mental Health Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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Sponsorship and organization
Conference Sponsor:
Partial funding for this conference has been provided by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Conference Organizer:
Office of Continuing Education and the North Carolin Center for Public Health Preparedness
North Carolina Institute for Public Health
School of Public Health
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee with representatives from:
Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee with representatives from:
- American Red Cross, Cape Fear Chapter
- Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research (UNC-CH)
- South East Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC)
- El Futuro, Inc.
- Mecklenburg County Health Department
- National Association of County and City Health Officials
- North Carolina Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness
- North Carolina Area Health Education Center Program Office
- North Carolina Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services
- North Carolina Office of the Governor, Hispanic/Latino Affairs
- North Carolina Public Health Social Work Continuing Education and Training Advisory Committee (CETAC)
- Tennessee Department of Health
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Continuing Education Credit
The following types of credit, based on five hours of instruction, are available:
- NC Psychology Category A
- NBCC Credit Hours
South East Area Health Education Center is recognized by the National Board for Certified Counselors to offer continuing education for National Certified Counselors. We adhere to NBCC Continuing Education Guidelines. (Provider number 5597)
- North Carolina Law Enforcement Credit
Application will be made to the North Carolina Justice Academy.
- Continuing Education Units and Contact Hours will be awarded to all other participants.
- North Carolina RS Board approved continuing education credit 3.5 hours for environmental health
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Registration
Register online, call 919-966-4032, or fax 919-966-5692
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