Disaster Behavioral Health

Response: Orlando Mass

Shooting

NASMHPD

2016 Annual Commissioners Meeting

Orlando Mass Shooting

Disaster

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Mass Shooting at

Pulse Nightclub

Orlando, Florida - 6/12/16

• 50 dead; 53 injured.

• Deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

• Worst act of terrorism on American soil since 9/11/01.

• Over 90% of 49 victims of Hispanic origin; one half of those of Puerto Rican descent.

• 90% were Florida residents.

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Disaster Event Timeline

• Began at 0200 hours (2:00am) with more than 300 people in Pulse night club at the time.

• An officer working at Pulse responded to shots fired, and the incident quickly became a hostage situation.

• Orlando Police Department (OPD) breeched the building from the rear to gain entry.

• SWAT teams entered the club at 0500 hours (5:00am) to attempt hostage rescue.

• The shooter was killed.

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Response Efforts Timeline

• Aspire Health Partners notified by OPD.

• Central Florida Cares Health System (CFCHS), DCF

Central Region Office and Orange County Government

coordinated efforts.

• First effort: Centralize all behavioral health services

information dissemination and responses.

• Family Reunification Center opened June 12 (Day 1), at

2:30 p.m.

• By 11:59 p.m. of June 12 (Day1), Orange County

Medical Examiner’s Office had removed all the victims

from the night club.

• Within 48 hours all victims’ families were notified.

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Response Efforts Timeline

(continued)

Day 1 Sunday, June 12, 2016:

Orange County Emergency Management Services (EMS) and Mental Health Responses were immediate.

Aspire Health Partners at the Hampton Inn (Family Reunification Center).

Days 2 and 3, Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14, 2016:

Beardall Senior Center – Orange County Response with Providers and CFCHS, the Department’s Managing Entity for the Central Region.

Days 4 to 10, beginning Wednesday, June 15, 2016:

Family Assistance Center (FAC) – Camping World

3rd Floor - Behavioral Health/Compassionate Support.

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Response Efforts Timeline

(continued)

• Days 11 to Present

Orlando United Assistance Center (OUAC)

• Community Agencies Donated

Food and Water

Gift Cards

Teddy Bears

Navigation/Compassionate Assistance

Furnishings and remodel provided by Disney

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Coordinated Response

• City of Orlando – Leadership on the ground at Pulse

and at Camping World Stadium.

• Orange County – Emergency Management Service,

Mental Health Response, Crisis Assistance.

• Central Florida Cares Health System -

Network/Statewide Mental Health Response.

• Aspire Health Partners, Inc. – Crisis Response and

deployment of staff to various sites.

• Florida Crisis Emergency Response Team (CERT).

• American Red Cross.

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FAC Resources Available

• Department of Children

and Families - Access

program (food stamps,

benefits)

• Attorney General

• Social Security

Administration

• FBI/ATF/LEO

• Child Care Services

• Legal Services

• Red Cross

• LGBTQ organizations:

Zebra Coalition/The Center

• Victim Services Center

• Immigration Consulate

(Mexico, Columbia,

Dominican Republic, Cuba,

Ecuador, El Salvador)

• 211 Heart of United Way

I&R/Spirit Project data

system

• Funeral Businesses

• Airlines

• Pet Alliance; Dog Therapy

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Florida’s Disaster

Experience

Natural disasters: tropical storms, floods, hurricanes, Haiti’s earthquake.

• 1992 Hurricane Andrew – 15 direct deaths in Florida.

• 2000 – 2015: 32 named hurricanes; total 82 direct deaths in Florida.

• 2010 earthquake in Haiti – Florida’s response

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Florida’s Response to the

Earthquake in Haiti

• Florida provided aid in Haiti and in Florida.

• DCF provided services; later received SERG awards. – 3,300 outreach/public education events to

204,000 persons. – Generated 2,364 assessment referrals. – 1,420 enrolled individuals accepted

counseling services.

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Florida’s Response

to the

Earthquake in Haiti (continued)

• About 66% served were Florida residents who experienced traumatic losses among extended family and social circles.

• About 29% served were repatriated from Haiti to South Florida through international disaster response activity.

• About 9% served were medical trauma patients evacuated from the island under conditions of humanitarian parole.

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• Florida’s track record responding to natural

disasters.

• Federal agencies prepared to respond.

• Orlando’s/Orange County’s experience with

natural disasters.

• Readiness and responsiveness of community

mental health agencies.

Florida’s Experience with

this Man-Made Disaster

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• CFCHS, the Central Region Managing Entity, was

able to access the appropriate licensed and

experienced counselors from across the state to

deploy to Orlando to assist.

• The Managing Entity structure allows for

management of services at a region/local level.

This structure contributed to immediately

accessing the professionals needed to respond.

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Response differences from

our natural disasters:

• Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

• Response work with crime related agencies: FBI, U. S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Florida Attorney General.

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Issues After the

Mass Shooting:

• Families not being informed of loved ones status.

• No money, no accommodations.

• Not being able to provide them with credible

information.

• Media relentless with needing to photograph

grieving families. (Angel Wings group helped with

this).

• Food donations.

• Verification of staff.

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Our Substance Abuse and Mental

Health (SAMH) Service Delivery

Relationship with Orlando

• The Central Region’s SAMH Receiving

System is a trendsetter in Florida.

• Law Enforcement have Crisis Intervention

Team trained officers.

• The System of Care Grant.

• The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Grant.

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Orlando’s Needs As a Result

of the Mass Shooting:

• Increase in demand for outpatient services.

• Need to reach those impacted but not

seeking services at assistance centers.

• Increase in trauma treatment capacity.

• Increase capacity of local LGBTQ

organizations to meet the needs of this

target population.

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Orlando Mass Shooting

•Community united.

•Community rallied around the families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLGjINTavpw&index=2&list=PLK

GEX7EuJlHaJSLKfbhTBjsG3DbZ_IeVX

Credit: Orlando Sentinel YouTube Channel

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Orlando Blood Donation Line

after 6/12/16 Mass Shooting

Credit: The Orlando Sentinel

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50,000 attend a vigil in Orlando

Credit: The Orlando Sentinel

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Memorial

established

outside Pulse

nightclub

Credit:

Credit: CFCHS

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Recommendations

• Do not expect that being prepared prepares you for the emotional impact across all agencies involved. Counselors, first responders, medical examiners, hospital staff, victim advocates, etc., are impacted emotionally.

• Debriefing is critical with counselors, first responders, medical examiners, hospital staff, victim advocates.

• Be prepared for the ripple effect…in Florida you can travel 1-2 hours anywhere. We are seeing persons seeking services across the state.

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Recommendations (continued)

• Disaster still fresh.

• Increase Disaster Preparedness staff.

• Contact Federal agencies for information and resources.

• Federal funding resources:– SERG

– Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program

• Training on assisting with family notification.

• Social media use important.

• Such disasters are impacting more communities.

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How Do We Define Success?

• Relatively easy to define success with natural disasters:

– The timeliness to restore services.

– Disaster relief sites, Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs)

demobilize.

– Housing of Victims no longer needed.

– There comes a time to return homes, buildings, beaches,

and roads to normalcy.

• We have few in-house measures for success for this type of

disaster.

− How can we measure restoration?

− How can we measure the return to normalcy?

− What is the new normal?

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Massachusetts’ Card to Orlando

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Orlando’s Card to

Massachusetts

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John N. Bryant

Assistant Secretary

John.Bryant@myflfamilies.com

(850) 921-8461

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