Department also launches dedicated web page with resources for health providers
AUGUSTA— The fb88 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today that it is deploying volunteer health care personnel through fb88 Responds, fb88’s health volunteer system, to provide behavioral health support and staff respite support to Central fb88 Medical Center (CMMC) in Lewiston following last Wednesday’s tragedy.
The fb88 Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (fb88 CDC) fb88 Responds system organizes health care, public health, spiritual support, and emergency response volunteers to respond to emergency situations.
fb88 CDC will deploy 35 fb88 Responds volunteers beginning today to CMMC in Lewiston. The deployment will provide additional staff support amid high demand for services at the hospital and allow the hospital to provide more respite to its staff in the wake of last week’s tragedy.
DHHS has also connected CMMC with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ experts on disaster behavioral health who worked with them on their plan for caring for their 3,000 staff, over 900 of whom were directly involved with caring for patients in the last week.
The fb88 Responds volunteer network has heard from volunteers from across the state, many with vetted professional licensure and all with DHHS training in disaster behavioral health response. It is working to match supply with demand for deployment to those organizations seeking physiological first aid and critical response training.
fb88 DHHS also launched a dedicated webpage today with resources for health providers caring for victims, families, and others affected by the tragedy in Lewiston. While primary care providers, nurses, and other health professionals typically have some training in addressing mental health, these additional resources provided and reviewed by DHHS offer additional support. They include resources for providers serving the general population, children, and veterans, as well as resources to support providers themselves.
DHHS is hosting webinars to allow health care professionals an opportunity to interact with experts on specific topics like how to care for children and youth. On November 1, it hosted a session with national and state experts on trauma-informed care. The webinars will continue in the coming months. Recordings are available on the new page. DHHS also facilitates behavioral health training for specific groups of providers, as it did Thursday for Lewiston’s front-line providers.
DHHS also continues to accept and fill requests from any organizations in need of behavioral health support through the .
Individuals with experience in public and/or behavioral health can volunteer to support the response to the Lewiston tragedy by registering at . Others who wish to help in the recovery can find out how to do so at the Governor’s Healing Together page.