Advisory

Alabama , Nebraska Receive Over $1 Million for Hurricane Crisis Counseling Aid

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Charles Curie today announced the award of $1.2 million to Alabama and Nebraska for crisis counseling assistance in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. These grants are awarded through a longstanding and highly successful partnership between SAMHSA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

These awards bring the total amount awarded for these “Regular Services” crisis counseling grants to over $59.4 million. When combined with the early round of “Immediate Services” crisis counseling grants, over $97 million in federal crisis counseling support has been made available to states to date. More grants will be awarded in coming weeks.

This is the fourth set of approximately 20 grants to be awarded to enable states to address ongoing counseling needs of persons adversely affected by the hurricanes, regardless of whether they are residing in their home states or are resettling in other areas. States will receive a portion of the funds initially, with the remaining approved funds released as service needs continue.

“The impact of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma is unprecedented,” Curie said.  “Most survivors are demonstrating remarkable resiliency and are rebuilding theirs lives.  However, for some survivors the psychological impact of their experiences is potentially both serious and long lasting.   These new grants are part of a broader federal effort to assure that emotional and psychological well-being are addressed in the overall recovery process.”

The crisis counseling program will hire and train people locally to provide outreach to survivors of the hurricanes who need mental health services. This outreach will include mobile services in which trained workers go to the places where disaster survivors are congregating, such as shelters, disaster recovery centers, or temporary hotels, and provide supportive contacts, educational materials and brief counseling services.

“I am genuinely heartbroken over the trauma that the victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma have suffered,” said R. David Paulison, Acting FEMA Director.  “The federal partnership between the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and SAMHSA demonstrates the administration’s continued commitment to providing resources to assist these hurricane victims in every way possible.”

The awards announced today are part of an ongoing crisis counseling effort. Twenty-nine states received Immediate Services Program grants totaling $39.1 million within weeks of the hurricanes. These new Regular Services Program grants will support services for up to nine months of additional assistance. Services supported through both the Immediate and the Regular Services programs include outreach, brief counseling, support groups, and public education.

Project Rebound in Alabama provides crisis counseling services throughout the ten counties directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The state has established mobile teams of counselors to conduct outreach to residents across the region and has established statewide toll free hotlines to respond to crisis counseling and mental health service requests. Alabama has been approved for up to $976,491 to serve these ten counties.

Nebraska has been providing over a thousand evacuees and Nebraska disaster workers with crisis counseling services through the “Reaching Out… Nebraska” program. Services offered include outreach, screening and referral, individual and group crisis counseling, and education related to loss, stress, and coping. Nebraska has been approved for $257,339.

SAMHSA, is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions, treatment, and mental health services delivery system.

SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service