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Journal of Emergency Management ®
Webinar Series

Mental Health in Emergency Management
and Public Health post COVID-19

Has the mental health situation for emergency management
and public health professionals improved
as the pandemic subsides?
 June 8th, 2022


Abstract
.....This webinar will provide an update on the current state of mental health across the landscape including the emergency management and public health professions. As the pandemic subsides, are the mental health effects diminishing in these critical work forces or is the damage going untreated?
Details
.....It has been about a year since major efforts were initiated to gauge the mental health of professionals in the field.* Given the focus to reduce the mental health stigma, improve mental health hygiene, reduce stressors and provide relevant resources, has the actual mental health improved?

.....New data from the recent Journal of Emergency Management Stressors and Mental Health Survey will be woven into the panel discussion. Our panelists will add their expertise to illuminate the findings from that survey. A round-robin discussion will bring forward methods to survey populations, emergency management, public health, and local responders for mental health issues as well as techniques to address concerns found.

.....Join us as we discuss this important issue and share the latest findings acquired about the COVID-19 impact on our mental health.

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Discussion Points
  • What is the state of mental health among emergency management and public health professionals?

  • Has the mental health situation for public health and emergency management professionals improved since the COVID-19 pandemic started or even the past year?

  • What are the constant pitfalls and maladaptive vices happening? Are these types of coping behaviors increasing in prevalence due to the COVID-19 impact?

  • What are ways or tools to better deal with critical stress and anxiety? What can we do for ourselves? And for our teams? For our families?

  • We will also be sharing initial findings from the recent Journal of Emergency Management Stressors and Mental Health Survey where it applies to our discussion.

  • Question and Answer from the audience.

*For example, the Journal of Emergency Management completed the Stressors and Mental Health Survey and has published two special issues and several webinars on this critical topic.

(Note: A recording will be made but you need to be registered to get notice when the recording is available.)
Moderator:
Sonny S. Patel, MPH, MPhil
Sonny S. Patel, MPH, MPhil, is a Presidential Fellow at Georgia State University and a Visiting Scientist at Harvard University. Patel is a Public Health Executive who serves on advisory committees and board of directors of organizations creating positive social and community impact. Patel is a former National Institutes of Health Fogarty Global Health Scholar and has developed protocols, programs, and training to build capacity and knowledge in communities worldwide - from subject matters in Public Health, Community Health, and Mental Health to specialized topics in Emergency Management, Community Resilience, and Disaster Risk Reduction. Patel was recently recognized as a top 40 under 40 Public Health Catalyst by the Boston Congress of Public Health and named by USAID in India as one of the top DevDistruptors in Mental Health.
Presenters:
Jennifer Horney, PhD, MPH

Jennifer Horney, PhD, MPH, is Professor and Founding Director of the Program in Epidemiology and Core Faculty at the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on measuring the health impacts of disasters, as well as the linkages between disaster planning and household actions related to preparedness, response, and recovery.
 
Dr. Horney received her PhD and MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research focused on the role of social factors in decision making during disasters. She has served on a number of national committees and is currently a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Center for Preparedness and Response, a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Planning Committee on Exploring Best Practices in Integration of Public Health and Human Services Service Delivery and Assessment Following Large Scale Disasters, and a member of the Publications Board of the American Public Health Association. She has led interdisciplinary research projects funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Academies of Sciences, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal, state, and local agencies.
 
Dr. Horney was a member of a team of public health practitioners who responded to Hurricanes Isabel, Charley, Katrina, Wilma, Irene, and Harvey where she conducted rapid assessments of disaster impact on the public health of individuals and communities. She has also provided technical assistance to public health agencies globally around disasters, emerging infectious disease outbreaks, and pandemic influenza planning and response.

Kelsey Merlo, PhD
Kelsey Merlo, PhD, is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist specializing in Occupational Health. Her research examines burnout, emotions, and stress over time in the disaster response workforce. She has been collaborating with the Florida Department of Health for the past 2+ years on addressing burnout and psychological health. As a psychologist, her expertise focuses on the organizational antecedents to burnout and interventions to mitigate its development.
Aidan Peat, EMT-B, BS
Aidan is currently a second-year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine. His research work focuses on the factors influencing first responders’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue hits close to home for him, as he has been a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the last 6 years. Having worked in emergency services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Aidan has a unique perspective on the challenges healthcare providers have faced.
Funding for this training/webinar has been provided by The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number U45ES019350, in association with Nova Southeastern University.
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