Mental health professionals conduct disaster drill in Oriskany

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, in collaboration with the State Office of Mental Health, announced the successful completion of the first-ever scenario-based training exercise for the Mental Health Disaster Response Team.

The event was held at the DHSES State Readiness Training Center in Oriskany from September 17-18, bringing together more than 76 professionals and volunteers from across the state.

“Mental health professionals provide critical care to first responders following a shooting,” said Jackie Bray, commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, in a statement. “The skills they learn in these trainings give them important tools to help reduce the emotional trauma of those affected by these incidents.”

Scenario-based training exercise

The exercise, which was conducted as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s efforts to bolster resources and services for first responders, involved trained actors practicing providing counseling and other mental health services to individuals and responders after a simulated active shooter incident.

This first-of-its-kind training enhanced the response team members’ abilities to provide psychological first aid by participating in realistic exercise scenarios. Lessons learned detailed how disaster mental health care can be integrated into future exercises and leveraged more effectively during real-world events.

The State Office of Mental Health partners with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and the Institute for Disaster Mental Health to develop a statewide disaster mental health response. Disaster mental health responders can be mobilized to support disaster response operations and provide a compassionate presence, immediate psychological first aid, and additional support as needed to address early and expected stress reactions to disasters.

OMH is leveraging federal funding to further expand and train the Disaster Mental Health Team, and plans are underway to help expand and support local and regional teams. Similarly, DHSES has worked with OMH and the institute to identify additional training opportunities related to first responder mental health, including peer-to-peer courses offered at the State Preparedness Training Center.

Peer support teams are made up of people with lived experience who can provide emotional, social and practical support when needed. Peer support teams are often used within public safety agencies to help people manage work-related stress and following critical incidents.

“We can help mitigate the trauma and long-term mental health impacts of disasters by providing immediate support to those most affected,” Dr. Ann Sullivan, Commissioner of the Office of Mental Health, said in a statement. “These teams provide immediate psychological first aid to people after a disaster so they can get the appropriate psychological support to recover. This training exercise gave us the opportunity to observe these teams in action and help them prepare for future responses.”

For more information, visit the DHSES Facebook page, follow @NYSDHSES on Twitter and Instagram, or visit dhses.ny.gov.