Preparing for the Next Storm: Collaborating with the COH to Evaluate Aspects of Emergency Mental Health Utilization Following Hurricane Harvey

Needs Statement

Physicians, residents, fellows, physician assistants, nurses, and social workers in a variety of disciplines need to be regularly updated on strategies for navigating suicidal grief, posttraumatic growth, and adverse clinical outcomes. The series aims to increase knowledge of the learners in these topic areas, and to enhance the quality of care and improve outcomes.

Educational Objectives

At the conclusion of the session, the participants should be able to:

• Identify high utilization areas of emergency mental health services in Houston before and after Hurricane Harvey.
• Review relevant suicide statistics in Harris County, in a limited period before and after Hurricane Harvey, from the Medical Examiners’ Offices of Dallas and Harris County.
• Assess correlations between other variables like FEMA applications, education level, FEMA flood data, and mental health emergency services utilization or suicide rates after Hurricane Harvey.

Target Audience

Accreditation/Credit Designation

Baylor College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Baylor College of Medicine designates this enduring material activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Activity Director

Kim-Lan Czelusta, M.D.

Associate Professor

Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas

Disclosures: Nothing to disclose.

Term of Approval

September 2019 through September 2021. Original release date: September 2019.

Disclosure Policy

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. BCM is committed to sponsoring CE activities that are scientifically based, accurate, current, and objectively presented.

In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, BCM has implemented a mechanism requiring everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity (i.e., directors, planning committee members, faculty) to disclose any relevant financial relationships with commercial interests (drug/device companies) and manage/resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. Individuals must disclose to participants the existence or non-existence of financial relationships at the time of the activity or within 24 months prior.

In addition, BCM has requested activity faculty/presenters to disclose to participants any unlabeled use or investigational use of pharmaceutical/device products; to use scientific or generic names (not trade names) in referring to products; and, if necessary to use a trade name, to use the names of similar products or those within a class. Faculty/presenters have also been requested to adhere to the ACCME's validation of clinical content statements.

BCM does not view the existence of financial relationships with commercial interests as implying bias or decreasing the value of a presentation. It is up to participants to determine whether the relationships influence the activity faculty with regard to exposition or conclusions. If at any time during this activity you feel that there has been commercial/promotional bias, notify the Activity Director or Activity Coordinator. Please answer the questions about balance and objectivity in the activity evaluation candidly.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.