Summer 2013
The Newsletter for Consumers & Supporters
Providing a psychological lifeline: Mental health volunteers on the ground for tornado victims by Brian Brus The first step in helping others deal with the emotional trauma of surviving a tornado is simple: Provide shelter, food and safety first, said Jeff Dismukes at the Departments of Mental health and Substance Abuse. Talking through the experience –or crying or yelling–will come later, sometimes much services and other support might be
ery efforts in Moore after the May 20 disaster in much the same manner as other organizations. They’re moving through the community, connecting victims to public services and providing a helping hand. And the mental health volunteers are easy to identify by their bright lime-colored t-shirts. “People are actually looking for our green shirts to talk to us,” volunteer coordinator Tania RubioRosas said. Those shirts may well be a lifeline to other mental health services. Volunteers with counseling backgrounds are working out a temporary office donated by the Cleveland County Health Department. Dozens check in each morning for new assignments as needed, often to work other organizations in areas such as transportation, school counseling or even uniting residents with lost pets through the Humane Society. They’re covering not only Moore, but also smaller communities like Carney and Little Axe. The volunteers include licensed mental health counselors and case managers who maintain nearly constant contact with the temporary
operations center. Dismukes said jokingly that
the office sometimes smells like a locker room for all the activity and the lack of time for cleanup after themselves. The service that the department volunteers are providing might not appear at first to be directly related to mental health. But according to psychologist John Tassey, until basic safety and security needs are met, it’s difficult to address other problems.
.Important Message Regarding Emergency Refill Too Soon Procedures – Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma has issued a Disaster Declaration for the Counties of Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie due to recent severe storms and tornadoes. As a result of this declaration, Express Scripts has implemented Emergency Refill Too Soon Procedures for those counties. This State of Emergency remains in effect through June 17, 2013. Affected Areas Express Scripts is implementing Emergency Refill Too Soon Procedures in the following Oklahoma counties: Cleveland Lincoln McClain
Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council 3200 NW 48th St , Ste 102 Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Tel: 405.604.6975 Toll Free: 1.888.424.1305 Fax: 405.605.8175
Oklahoma Pottawatomie During emergencies, TRICARE may authorize early refills for prescriptions, meaning a prescription can be refilled before the current supply is exhausted. If your medication is lost or damaged as a result of the storm, you may obtain an emergency supply at a local network pharmacy.
O k l a h o m a m e n ta l h e a lt h c o n s u m e r c o u n c i l
necessary. Until then however, the department’s more than 600 trained volunteers are helping recov-
c o n s u m e r a l e rt
later, he said. When that happens, professional counseling