LOUISIANA Community Mental Health Services Block Grant ...

which has been put to the test with the current response to the oil spill caused by the explosion of the
British Petroleum rig in the Gulf. Collaborative relationships exist with local chapters of the Red
Cross, Office of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness, the Office of Public Health, and the
National Guard as well as other emergency management organizations. Regions/ LGEs have
conducted statewide drills, meetings, and exercises with these entities to ensure an understanding of
roles, responsibilities, and operations.
In examples of more specific service offerings, OBH provides staff members to all state-administered
hospital emergency rooms. These staff members perform mental health screening as part of the
admission process. OBH coordinates in-service training for emergency room doctors, nurses and other
professional and para-professional staff. OBH also trains teachers and school administrators in disaster
response procedures.
OBH, jointly with the Office of Emergency Preparedness, provides training to parish level police/ fire/
EMS workers charged with disaster response. Such training includes:
Critical incident management, Mental health disaster services, Bio-terrorism preparedness,
Mental health response to mass casualties, Coordination of mental health and first responders,
Stress management for first responders.
Regions and LGEs report that they are very engaged and involved in activities involving crisis and
emergency planning, and they are linked with cooperative agreements to other agencies. First
responder teams have been developed in some regions, and regions have plans and procedures for
staffing medical special needs shelters in the event of a crisis that requires evacuation. Communication
needs for staff have resulted in extensive uses of technology. Many staff members have been issued
cell phones and blackberries that can be used in emergencies. In addition, 800 Mhz radios are
available for use in disasters. Employees have access to electronic bulletin boards or websites that
allow communication between staff, supervisors, and administration
Evaluation of the effectiveness of crisis response is on-going, and most recently emphasized in the
response to the oil spill. Some areas of the state (i.e., Regions 3, 4, and 5) have suffered through the
consequences of all four hurricanes in three years, and now are dealing with the impact of the oil spill
and have had an opportunity to exercise the lessons learned. Regions were successful in making
improvements in their regional response following Katrina/ Rita, and their response to Gustav/ Ike
proved to be excellent, in spite of severe damage to some of their clinics.
Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for law enforcement has been well established in several regions/
LGEs to address behavioral health crises. Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) readies officers and
dispatchers to assess and respond appropriately to calls involving adults with SMI and children with
EBD. The CIT curriculum is being modified to incorporate specific components for adolescents/
youth. Many 911 emergency operators and dispatchers have been trained to provide essential
information and linkages to services. Unfortunately, some programs have been dealt severe budget
cuts.
Some regions/ LGEs have conducted specific training on co-occurring developmental disabilities and
behavioral health disorders to community professionals, first responders, and emergency room (ER)
staff. Continued dialogue with ER staff includes information on the utilization of community
resources to maintain wellness and avoid crises.
PART C LOUISIANA FY 2011 PAGE 271
SECTION III: ADULT & CHILD/ YOUTH PLAN – CRITERION 5
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS – EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDER TRAINING