D10 - Heartware N Hardware - Supporting First Responders and Health Care Workers During a Pandemic

Law enforcement is a critical function with or without a pandemic. Health Care workers are placed under immense levels of stress. The safety, security, and health services in the community is paramount during a pandemic and hence must be effectively supported. During a pandemic however, first responders and health care workers faced the same threat of infection and death that plagued the community. Yet they are required to continue performing their duties even when the nature of the virus has not been clearly established and much less understood. There was much stress and anxiety. In Singapore, their psychological resilience and readiness were maintained through a robust psychological support framework. This framework adequately supported them through the almost 3 years of policing in a pandemic. The psychological support framework would be useful in helping agencies prepare and respond to future threats of similar nature.
Amidst the early stages of the outbreak of COVID-19, it became evident that psychological first aid (PFA) was needed to get out through this pandemic. The challenge was how to spread the knowledge of PFA when all in person contact had to suddenly stop. This session will cover the impact and best practice of conducting PFA training virtually as well as the setting up of the National CARE hotline to buffer the psychological, physical, economic and social impact on the community.

*Profession Specific CEs

This presentation is approved for 1.0 CE Credits by The Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency, Inc. (AACMHA) as an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland.

This presentation is approved for 1 PDH from EAPA- Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

1 CE Credits for NAADAC, This course has been approved by International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider # 87914, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

*Review ICISF World Congress 17 CE website page for additional requirements.