Terrorism and Disaster Center

Although the Terrorism and Disaster Center (TDC) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is one of the new Category II NCTSN Centers created during the recent SAMHSA grant cycle, the TDC is no stranger to the National Network. This is because TDC is not a traditional new grantee; TDC is actually a former branch of the National Center that is now funded as a Category II Center.

Betty Pfefferbaum, who previously led the Terrorism and Disaster Branch (TDB) of the National Center, now heads TDC, a Network center that includes colleagues from multiple sites across the country. TDC’s mission focuses on adapting, developing, evaluating, and disseminating interventions used to address the mental health impact of terrorism and disasters on children, families, and communities.

“Many of the projects and interventions that we are working on now were begun when we were part of the National Center,” explains Pfefferbaum. “And we are fortunate to continue our close collaboration with the National Center on these activities.”

For example, in collaboration with the National Center, TDC helped finalize and disseminate a version of Psychological First Aid (PFA) for use after Hurricane Katrina. PFA is a guide for mental health clinicians who provide supportive services in the aftermath of a disaster. Other TDC interventions include Resistance Building Training (RBT) and Community Resilience (CR), both of which focus on enhancing resilience.

“We are really excited about the Community Assessment of Resilience Tool (CART), created to assess community resilience - and guide community-based intervention,” explains Pfefferbaum. TDC’s community resilience work was supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CART has been pilot tested in an Oklahoma community. TDC will continue to refine CART over the coming year. Additionally, a community resilience guidebook is in the final stages of production.
 
While TDC continues to work on these specific interventions, no one knows exactly when a disaster or terrorist incident will occur and create an immediate demand for resources, and TDC always has to be ready to spring into action. “We had to fast track a lot of our work when Katrina struck. Obviously the mass evacuation of an American city presented issues that we had not dealt with before,” said Pfefferbaum. “And we are still trying to address many of those issues.”

The National Center is responsible for coordinating disaster responses for the Network, a division of labor that allows TDC to concentrate on terrorism and disaster intervention development and evaluation. Each NCTSN site has, or will have, a person designated as a TD liaison; these individuals will be trained and coordinated by the National Center. The TDC in Oklahoma is also prepared to help interested Network partners develop disaster materials and train for disaster response.