Public agencies better prepared to address mental health issues resulting from a traumatic emergency in Nevada County. The National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) was providing Crisis Response Team Training to local officials last week.
County Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Patti Carter, says 13 people participated in the crisis response training, representing Emergency Preparedness, the Behavioral Health Department, Office of Emergency Services, and a School Climate official. The NOVA evidence-based training gave responders a chance to train together and work through different disaster scenarios.
The training targeted populations that might require additional short- and long-term mental health support following an incident. Carters says the training strengthens the ability to respond, providing both first responders and victims with much needed resources to aid in coping with the effects of a disaster.
Skills learned during the training will be tested in a large scale exercise in late spring.
Carter says the event is big and will surely test skills picked up over the three day crisis response trainings.
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