Psychosocial Care in the Netherlands during disasters

1
Psychosocial Care in the Netherlands during
disasters

• Henk Schenk,
• MD, Public Health Specialist,
• Master of Crisis and Disaster management

2
Principals

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

3
Corporation with actors in the field

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

4
Organized by all 25 security regions

• In scale varying between 300.000 till gt 1,5
  million inhabitants

5
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

6
Skills

• Professionals working in the field of
  psychosocial care
• Trained on disaster psychosocial care ?
• Exercising ?
• The question marks represent the obtainable
  situation

7
Practices

• About two three a year in the Netherlands

8
Conclusions

• There is not much experience in the Netherlands
  with psychosocial care during disasters.
• Know How is scattered over 25 regions

9
Discussion on new perspectives

• Evidence based approach with information from
  other countries
• Organization of the acute (lt 72 hours)
  psychosocial care on a larger scale.