Integrating Mental Health and Disability Into Public Health Disaster Preparedness and Response, First Edition

Integrating Mental Health and Disability into Public Health Disaster Preparedness and Response brings together the fields of mental/behavioral health, law, human rights, and medicine as they relate to disaster planning and response for people with disabilities, mental and behavioral health conditions and chronic illness. Children and adults with disabilities, mental/behavioral health conditions and chronic illness remain more vulnerable to the negative effects of emergencies and disasters than the general population. This book addresses the effects of emotional trauma, personal growth and resilience, the impact on physical health and systems of care, and legal compliance and advocacy.

Following a philosophy of whole community emergency planning, inclusive of people with disabilities, the book advocates for considering and addressing these issues together in an effort to ultimately lead to greater resilience for individuals with disabilities and the whole community.

• Provides a public health framework on the phases of disasters, integrating mental health and disability into planning, responding to disasters, and recovering post disaster
• Offers solutions for disability and disaster needs, as well as planning and systems for service delivery at multiple levels, including individual, local, state and federal
• Provides global examples of real world tools, best practices and legal principles, allowing the reader to think about the role that disability and mental health play in disaster planning, response and recovery across the world
• Reflects the best thinking about disaster planning and response and disability-related issues and demonstrates new and creative ways of bringing together these fields to strengthen communities

About the Author

Jill Morrow-Gorton MD, MBA, is an associate professor in the University of Massachusetts Medical School Departments of Pediatrics and Family and Community Medicine. As a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, she works with people with disabilities and mental health disorders. As a State Medical Director in Pennsylvania, she participated in disability disaster planning with the Department of Health. She has also served as Medicaid Medical Director and LTSS clinical lead in Massachusetts. She has experience in clinical teaching and research in disabilities, quality evaluation and improvement activities, development of a toolkit for assessing emergency plans in community health centers, and hospital disaster planning.

Susan Wolf-Fordham JD, MPA, has advocated for disability policy and health equity issues for 25+ years, with 14 years’ work on emergencies, disasters, and pandemics. A local board of health member, she also teaches public health law and public health emergency preparedness graduate courses. As deputy director of a national technical assistance and training center on disability inclusion in emergency preparedness, she was lead subject matter expert, course content developer, and consultant to national, state, and local public health and emergency management organizations. While an Instructor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, she directed training, research, and service projects regarding disability inclusive emergency planning.

Katherine Snyder JD, is a Public Interest Lawyer and advocate for people with disabilities. Previously a prosecutor in Florida, she represented interests of marginalized and disadvantaged victims and families. She worked with community and government entities on disaster planning for Florida’s hurricane seasons. In law school, she was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law, Economics, and Race, and brought together authors and subject matter experts to represent law and references for articles. She worked directly with people with disabilities in residential, community, and therapeutic settings. Presently, she works for the State of Florida’s Children’s Legal Service, advocating for abused, abandoned, and neglected children.