Surge, Sort, Support: Disaster Behavioral Health for Health Care Professionals

Course Description:

SURGE, SORT, SUPPORT has been developed to enhance the ability of health care and hospital personnel, and their community response and preparedness partners, to function optimally in the face of disasters, acts of terrorism, and mass casualty incidents (MCIs).  A major theme of the course is on achieving resiliency in the face of adversity.  SURGE, SORT, SUPPORT also focuses on the ability to meet the medical and psychosocial needs of disaster survivors who arrive at hospitals with a combination of injury and illness, fear and distress.  SURGE, SORT, SUPPORT is comprised of six modules that together, create a storyline.

• SURGE: Behavioral Realities of Hospital Surge.  The magnitude of hospital surge is greater in both numbers and complexity than what is portrayed in most hospital exercise scenarios.  This module asks course participants to think about how people actually behave during MCIs and to prepare for the influx of medical and psychological casualties, citizens searching for missing loved ones, and widespread distress among inpatients currently under care. 
• SORT: Triage and Distribution of Casualties.  This module examines approaches to medical and behavioral triage during an MCI and presents guidance for activation of a Support Center for psychological casualties and a Family Center for citizens searching for missing loved ones.
• SUPPORT: Psychosocial Support for Disaster Survivors.  A wide range of hospital personnel are able to provide practical help and support to disaster survivors in a manner that will diminish fear and distress.  Hospital-based applications of psychological first aid and supportive communication are described as elements of early intervention for disaster survivors.
• Special Situations: Behavioral Perspectives.  Behavioral issues are presented for special contingencies:  potentially-exposed patients, patients requiring decontamination, and patients admitted to isolation.  The dynamics of mass panic are presented.
• RESTORE: Resiliency Tools for Responders.  This section systematically presents a toolkit of resiliency strategies at the individual and institutional level, organized by disaster phase (pre-event, disaster event, and post-event).

Program Agenda:

Presenters:

James M. Shultz MS, PhD
Director, Center for Disaster & Extreme Event Preparedness (DEEP Center)
Co-Director, Miami Center for Public Health Preparedness
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Maurice A. Ramirez DO, CNS, CMRO
Federal Medical Officer Dept. of Homeland Security FL3-DMAT
Board Certified Disaster Medicine
Founding Chair of the American Board of Disaster Medicine