Address issues related to mental health emergency response, manage the mental health care area, and coordinate mental health response activities.
Update Secondary Person Responsible:
Documents/Tools:
• Incident Action Plan
• Local public health department reporting forms
• Hospital emergency operations plan
• Hospital organization chart
• Hospital telephone directory
• Radio/satellite phone
1. Receive appointment, briefing, and appropriate forms and materials from the Medical Care Branch Director.
2. Read this entire Job Action Sheet and review incident management team chart (HICS Form 207). Put on position identification.
3. Notify your usual supervisor of your HICS assignment.
4. Document all key activities, actions, and decisions in an Operational Log (HICS Form 214) on a continual basis.
5. Appoint Mental Health team members and complete the Branch Assignment List (HICS Form 204).
6. Brief Unit team members on current situation, incident objectives and strategy; outline Unit action plan and designate time for next briefing.
7. Meet with the Command staff and Employee Health & Well-Being Unit Leader to plan, project, and coordinate mental health care needs of patients, their family, and staff. The
plan should include addressing the mental health needs of people who arrive at the hospital with concerns that they are or may be victims of the disaster.
8. Participate in briefings and meetings, as requested.
Communicate with the Medical Care Branch Director and obtain information, as follows:
• Type and location of incident.
• Number and condition of expected patients.
• Estimated arrival time to facility.
• Unusual or hazardous environmental exposure.
• Location(s) of surge of people (who may or may not be victims of the disaster) who have arrived at the facility or who are calling to ask for assistance (e.g., facility
phones, reception area, ED, decontamination area, isolation area, etc.).
• Any special circumstances that must be addressed due to the nature of the incident, such as special languages, cultural needs, or security concerns.
9. Provide mental health guidance and recommendations to Medical Care Branch Director based on response needs and potential triggers of psychological effects (trauma exposure, perceived risk to staff and family, restrictions on movement, resource limitations, information unavailability).
10. Communicate and coordinate with Logistics Section Chief to determine
• Available staff (mental health, nursing, chaplains, experienced volunteers, etc.) that can be deployed to key areas of the facility to provide psychological support, and
intervention.
• Location and type of resources that can be used to assist with a mental health response, such as toys and coloring supplies for children, mental health disaster
recovery brochures, fact sheets on specific hazards (e.g., information on chemical agents that include symptoms of exposure), private area in the facility where family
members can wait for news regarding their loved ones, etc.
• Availability of psychotropic medications (particularly anxiolytics).
11. Communicate with Planning Section Chief to determine:
• Bed availability in inpatient psychiatry units, if applicable.
• Additional short and long range mental health response needs.
• Need to provide mental health care guidance to medical community.
12. Establish an overall mental health treatment plan for the disaster including priorities for mental health response for patients, families, and staff; staffing recommendations; recommended mental health activities/interventions; resources available and needed; and problems to be addressed in the next operational period.
13. Regularly meet with Medical Care Branch Director to discuss medical care plan of action and staffing in all mental health areas.
14. Receive, coordinate, and forward requests for personnel and supplies to the Medical Care Branch Director.
15. Request clerical support from the Labor Pool and Credentialing Unit Leader, if necessary.
16. Document all communications (internal and external) on an Incident Message Form (HICS Form 213). Provide a copy of the Incident Message Form to the Documentation Unit.
Ongoing Duties:
1. Communicate and coordinate with Logistics Section Chief on the availability of:
• Mental health staff needed to deliver psychological support and intervention
• Availability of psychotropic medications (particularly anxiolytics)
2. Coordinate with Logistics and Planning Section Chiefs to expand/create a recognized provisional Mental Health Patient Care Area, if necessary.
3. Ensure that appropriate mental health standards of care are being followed and mental health needs are being met.
4. Establish regular meeting schedule with mental health staff responding to the incident and the Medical Care Branch Director for updates on the situation regarding hospital operation needs.
5. Maintain communication with Logistics and Planning Sections to monitor situation updates and maintain information resource availability.
6. Communicate with local governmental mental health department, in collaboration with the Liaison Officer, to ascertain community mental health status and assess available resources.
7. Participate in development of risk communication and public information that addresses mental health concerns.
8. Ensure patient records are being prepared correctly and collected.
9. Ensure your physical readiness through proper nutrition, water intake, rest, and stress management techniques.
10. Advise Medical Care Branch Director immediately of any operational issue you are not able to correct or resolve.
11. Assess environmental services (housekeeping) needs in all mental health care areas; contact the Environmental Services Unit Leader for assistance.
12. Report equipment and supply needs to the Medical Care Branch Director and Supply Unit Leader.
13. Ensure staff health and safety issues are being addressed; resolve with Medical Care Branch Director and Employee Health and Safety Unit Leader, when appropriate.
14. Develop and submit an action plan to Medical Care Branch Director when requested.
15. Ensure that patient status and location information is being regularly submitted to the Patient Tracking Officer.
16. In collaboration with the Medical Care Branch Director, prioritize and coordinate patient transfers to other hospitals with Transportation Unit Leader.
