Psychosocial Care in the Netherlands during disasters

Henk Schenk,

MD, Public Health Specialist,

Master of Crisis and Disaster management

Principals

•Based on a national model•In general, an up scaled normal situation

Corporation with actors in the field

•Psychiatric crisis services•Social services (Maatschappelijk Werk)•Victim support (Slachtoffer Hulp)

Organized by all 25 security regions

In scale varying between 300.000 till > 1,5 million inhabitants

Operations during a disaster

• Policy team of decision makers• Psychosocial recovery teams in the field• Only within the first 72 hours

• After 72 hour family doctors and usual psychosocial care organizations

Skills

• Professionals working in the field of psychosocial care• Trained on disaster psychosocial care ?• Exercising ?

• The question marks represent the obtainable situation

Practices

• About two – three a year in the Netherlands

Conclusions

• There is not much experience in the Netherlands with psychosocial care during disasters.

• Know How is scattered over 25 regions

Discussion on new perspectives

• Evidence based approach with information from other countries

• Organization of the acute (< 72 hours) psychosocial care on a larger scale.