title: Academic/State/Federal collaborations and the improvement of practices in disaster mental health services and evaluation.
abstract: Academic, state, and federal agencies collaborated over the last 9 years to improve disaster mental health services and evaluation. This process, which included literature reviews, a number of expert panels, and case studies, is described. The products resulting from this process have included the development of a systematic cross-site evaluation of the federally funded crisis counseling program and field guides for interventions aimed at providing services to distressed individuals in the immediate aftermath of disasters and to individuals needing resilience skills training weeks or months after the event. Future improvement of disaster mental health services calls for continued research, evaluation, training, and intervention development.
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD, VA Medical Center, 215 North Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05009, USA. patricia.watson@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Josef I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Ruzek
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004190:Disasters; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States