This guest blog is authored by Manya Chylinski, a communications expert whose experiences led her to become an advocate for people who experience psychological wounds after violent events.
On December 23, 2022, the Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act was signed into law by President Biden. Starting January 1, 2023, anyone living through a federally declared emergency is eligible to access mental health resources to help heal from their trauma. This new law came into existence because of a phone call I made to the office of my Congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley, at a time when I needed help. I didn’t have any idea what she could do for me; I just knew that she would help. It was an amazing experience to be part of the change.
At the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, I was a spectator in the bleacher seats at the finish line. The first bomb exploded directly across the street from me. While I am grateful I did not have physical injuries, the event upended my life, and that of hundreds of other witnesses. The official response focused mainly on the bereaved and those with physical injuries. It did not take into account those who experienced invisible mental and emotional injuries and were at risk of developing post-traumatic stress. I was in that group.
I was able to find help through my own health care provider and through the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, which gathered resources available to all survivors, including those without physical injuries. Yet the lack of visible support for survivors like me and the ongoing exclusion in official activities for survivors has left many people feeling ignored and invalidated. In my case, that feeling turned to anger, and that anger turned to action and advocacy—and calling my congresswoman for help. After an initial call in the summer of 2021, I worked with Congresswoman Pressley to draft what would eventually become the Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act.
The Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act
The Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act (filed as HR5703 with Senate companion bill S 3677) is a technical fix to the existing Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to expand the types of events that qualify for the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s (FEMA) Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP).
The CCP is a strength-based program designed to promote resilience and recovery and help people rebuild their lives after tragedy. CCP services include the following and are designed to supplement existing community systems and transition to community resources as the short-term response phases out after nine months:
- Individual and group crisis counseling
- Basic supportive or educational contact
- Community networking and support
- Assessments, referrals, and resources
- Development and distribution of educational materials
- Media and public service announcements
Until the passage of the Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, CCP support was only available after a major disaster for events like terrorist attacks, wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters but not for emergency declarations.
Note: According to FEMA, A major disaster is defined as “any natural catastrophe or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion that cause damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant assistance to supplement state, local, and disaster relief organization efforts to alleviate damage, loss, hardship, or suffering.” An emergency is defined as “any occasion or instance for which Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts to save lives and protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.”
Because the Boston Marathon bombing was declared a federal emergency, not a major disaster, there was federal support for the city and state to assist in recovery after the tragedy, but no analogous support for addressing the mental health impacts of the bombing.
A major part of the impetus behind amending the Stafford Act is the fact that since 2013 there have been more than 4,000 emergency declarations in 37 states and in 72 percent of all congressional districts. These traumas are impacting all of us, and too many people were being overlooked and left without support. By expanding the types of events that qualify for CCP support, the law will enable survivors of tragedies of all sizes to access the mental health supports they need to heal.
Moving Forward
The impacts of trauma can last a lifetime, especially when left unaddressed. We know that the earlier survivors can get help, the better chance they have to recover. As Congresswoman Pressley stated when celebrating the signing of the bill, “Trauma is nonlinear and indiscriminatory, and our federal response should meet every impacted individual exactly where they are. Survivors deserve not only to heal but to thrive, and this bill will move us one step closer to helping them do just that.”
CCP interventions help survivors understand their situation and reactions, reduce stress, and promote the development and use of coping strategies. These are all things that survivors of the bombing needed in 2013 to help position them to heal, and things that survivors of disasters to come will need as well. And now they will be able to get them.
Learn more about Manya Chylinski here and watch her TedxNortheasternU talk here. Pathways to Resilience will continue to amplify strategies for promoting healing and resilience in the health sector and share resources to provide guidance to states seeking to implement similar approaches.