Washington, DC - Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) today announced the reintroduction of legislation to help prepare first responders and health care professionals to effectively address mental health consequences in the wake of public health emergencies, like those created after the September 11th attacks and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness Act of 2007 would establish the National Center for Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness to coordinate the development and delivery of mental health services in collaboration with federal, state and local entities when our nation is confronted with public health catastrophes.

"September 11th and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed clearly that our emergency response must include a coordinated approach to helping victims and survivors cope with the mental health effects of tragedy. Yet years after these disasters, we still don't have the resources needed or the coordinated plan in place to meet mental health needs in a time of emergency. We cannot wait until another disaster strikes before we take action. When disaster strikes we must be ready to immediately mobilize and deploy necessary resources at a federal, state and local level to provide the response those affected need and deserve," said Senator Clinton.

"Few communities in the United States are prepared to handle the mental health needs of the victims of disasters, terrorist events or public health emergencies. In a time of crisis, the key to responding efficiently and effectively is organizing and delivering services both individually and as part of a network. In the event of public health emergencies, federal, state and local disaster plans must include coordinated protocols for the management of mental health response and delivery. It is my hope that this bill will help provide the resources necessary to improve our response to the mental health care needs of our citizens and help us to avoid the shortfalls we all witnessed in the aftermath of events like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina," said Senator Domenici, a longtime mental health advocate.

The Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness Act of 2007 would create the National Center for Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness and charge it with five functions to address mental health problems and coordinate the development and delivery of mental health services in conjunction with existing federal, state and local entities in the event of a public health emergency.

Under the bill, the National Center would work to establish and disseminate up-to-date and effective training curricula to help emergency health professionals at the state and local levels, including mental health professionals, public health and healthcare professionals, emergency services personnel, county emergency managers, school personnel, spiritual care professionals, and state and local government officials responsible for emergency preparedness.

The legislation will also establish the National Center as a clearinghouse of educational materials, guidelines, and research on public mental health emergency preparedness and service delivery. Technical assistance would be provided to help users access those resources most effective for their communities.

In addition, the bill will task the National Center with creating an annual national forum for emergency health professionals, researchers, other experts and federal, state and local government officials to identify and address gaps in science, practice, policy and education related to public mental health emergency preparedness and service delivery.

The National Center will also work with the National Disaster Medical System and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact to ensure that licensed mental health professionals are included in the deployment of disaster medical assistance teams. Deployment of licensed mental health professionals will increase the effectiveness of medical teams by providing psychological assistance and crisis counseling to survivors and to the other team members. Further, the National Center will work with the National Disaster Medical System to ensure that licensed mental health professionals are included in its leadership to provide appropriate support for behavioral programs and personnel within disaster medical assistance teams.

Finally, the Public Mental Health Preparedness Act of 2007 will require annual evaluations of both the National Center's efforts and those across the federal government in building our nation's public mental health emergency preparedness and service delivery capacity. Based on these evaluations, recommendations would be made to improve mental health strategies and resources.

"The Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness Act of 2007 aims to fill in a critical gap that exists in the nation's preparedness for any disaster, ranging from pandemic flu to hurricanes," said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (Emeritus), executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA). "As we've seen in past disasters, including the hurricanes of the Gulf Coast and the Asian tsunami, the health effects of a disaster are not solely limited to physical ailments--there are mental and emotional consequences as well. APHA is pleased that this bill takes vital steps to integrate the mental health needs of those affected by a public health emergency into current efforts to prepare, including the National Response Plan and the HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan."

"Both human made and natural disasters can have significant mental health consequences for many who are affected. The Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness Act of 2007 would take important steps to enhance our preparedness and response efforts to address the mental health needs of the population, including some of our most vulnerable subgroups, in the aftermath of catastrophic events," said Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Public Interest Directorate, American Psychological Association.

The Clinton-Domenici bill is supported by the American Psychological Association, American Public Health Association, the National Association of Social Workers and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Senator Clinton first introduced the Public Mental Health Emergency Preparedness Act during the 109th Congress.

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