title: School-Based Disaster Recovery: Promotion of Children's Mental Health Over the Long Haul.
abstract: The February 2010 earthquake and tsunamis destroyed 80% of the coastal town of Dichato, Chile, displacing over 400 families for nearly 4 years. The coalition Recupera Chile (RC) participated in the town's integrated recovery process from January 2011 to the present with a focus on children's mental health. The multidisciplinary RC coalition emphasized community-led post-disaster recovery, economic capacity rebuilding, and community health promotion (www.recuperachile.org). RC's child health team fostered partnerships between the local elementary school, health clinic, Universidad de Concepcion, and Boston Children's Hospital. The team responded to priorities identified by the town with a three-pronged approach of (1) case management, (2) resource development, and (3) monitoring and evaluation. This work resulted in the development of a model school-based program: La Escuela Basada en Realidad, which encompassed (1) health and mental health, (2) language and literacy, and (3) love of the sea. Post-disaster programs targeting mental health require a multi-year approach that extends beyond the completion of the physical reconstruction. Recovery is an organic process that cannot be prescripted and depends on solutions that emerge from the community. Finally, partnerships between schools and universities can foster resiliency and sustainability of programs for children and families. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:633-636).
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School Baystate Campus,Springfield,Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8163-6662
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peacock-Chambers
authors.affiliation: 2Recupera Chile,David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies,Harvard University,Cambridge,Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Del Canto
authors.affiliation: 3Program on Crisis Leadership,Harvard Kennedy School,Cambridge,Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ahlers
authors.affiliation: 4Department of Psychiatry,Universidad de Concepcion,Concepcion,Chile.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdivia Peralta
authors.affiliation: 5Boston Children's Hospital,Boston,Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palfrey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000639:trends*; D002677:Chile; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000379:methods*; D055866:Earthquakes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D000073038:Mental Health Recovery; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: community mental health services; earthquakes; international cooperation