Pediatric Disaster Behavioral Health (PDBH) Toolbox
Completion requirements
3. The Toolbox - Implementation & Tactical Resources
3.4. PDBH - Potential Partnerships Table
Within the table below are the various organizations, what objectives/functions of the framework they may be able to support, and brief notes on the organization’s potential role and capabilities to support pediatric behavioral health needs.
Organizational roles and local emergency plan structures vary from community to community. As such, exploring and understanding the local plan structure and organizational capabilities is critical to ensure readiness to effectively respond and recover.
Framework connections – what each connection indicates the partner may be able to offer:
PDBH Situational Awareness – Sharing and gathering of data/information related to pediatric disaster behavioral health impacts, capacity, needs, and other essential information.
PDBH Care – May be engaged in delivery or coordinate of disaster behavioral health care, either by existing or new programs, and thus a potential partner to coordinate with for service delivery.
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance – Opportunity to share subject matter expertise (SME) to assist with their response/recovery efforts, or, to distribute educational resources. Additionally, may serve as a partner who can provide SME to your organization.
PDBH Coordination – Connection to broader response or recovery efforts that may benefit from a connection and collaboration with pediatric disaster behavioral health functions, teams, or coalitions.
Role: Describes the key functions and objectives, along with associated lead and supporting organizations, of disaster response activities within a jurisdiction
Key ESFs are #6 and #8
Emergency Support Function #6 (Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Temporary Housing, and Human Services)
Emergency Support Function #8 (Public Health/Medical/Behavioral Health)
While this structure isn’t used in all communities, it is extremely common
Key structure to understand with to engage with broader community response efforts
Should include behavioral health elements, and if they are not included or this planning structure isn’t used, it is critical to identify where they are captured in plans
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Describes the key functions and objectives, along with associated lead and supporting organizations, of disaster recovery activities within a jurisdiction
Locally, these RSFs may have different grouping than the federal ones
Commonly, behavioral health is housed in the Health & Human Services RSF
Key structure to understand with to engage with broader community recovery efforts
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Support and/or coordinate health care preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.
Note: Roles and capabilities of HCCs vary greatly
Are often compromised of health care organizations and systems, local emergency management and public health departments, and first response agencies.
Scope may include behavioral health in some jurisdictions
Likely engaged in ESF#8
Key structure to understand and engage with for coordination of health care response/recovery efforts, along with potential integration of behavioral health activities
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Coordinate non-governmental, faith-based, and community organization efforts to respond to and recover from disasters
Exists at national, state, and at times local levels with varying membership
Important partner for community engagement, service delivery, messaging, and wrap-around support services during a disaster
May be able to help reach community groups formal governmental efforts may miss
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Coordinate non-governmental, faith-based, and community organization efforts to recover from disasters via an newly established recovery organization
Often established after disasters to assist the local community in long-term recovery planning and coordination
Key partner to integrate behavioral health recovery activities within existing community recovery efforts
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Purpose: A network of community service providers that come together with goal of reducing the impact of disasters through collaboration, preparedness, and shared knowledge.
Role: Allows opportunity to foster collaboration, facilitate the exchange of best practices, and create common goals.
Creates on-going partnerships through relationships in order to strengthen the collective ability to respond to and recover from emergencies.
Role: Responsible for coordination of local/state emergency operations planning and response/recovery coordination
During disasters, central point for coordination of government response/recovery efforts
Can access mutual aid (local to local, or state to state) along with coordinating the disaster declaration process and thus federal aid
Key starting point if uncertain about local/state roles and responsibilities for disaster response and recovery (such as ESFs/RSFs) – can also provide access to emergency operations plans (EOPs)
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Likely responsible for disaster behavioral health planning, including engagement of existing programs
During disasters, may provide supportive services such as Psych First-Aid or support Resiliency Centers
May have capabilities to support data tracking, management, analysis, and interpretation
May help response and recovery efforts through legislative and policy action
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Likely responsible for public health, medical, and emergency medical services disaster planning – may oversee behavioral health as well in some locations
During disasters, may conduct activities such as surge management, isolation/quarantine, epidemiology, testing, behavioral health, mass fatality management, and public outreach/education
Role: Responsible for preparedness, response, and recovery of education facilities and programs
Additionally, may request, coordinate, and provide expanded services to students during disasters
Key partner to engage in pediatric readiness, response, and recovery efforts due to engagement of children in school system
Schools maintain a district crisis plan which connects preparedness, response, and recovery efforts - identifying intersections and connecting plans with districts can help improve ability to collaborate and coordinate during an incident
They can often provide real-time data sources to support response and recovery activities
Schools can also serve as a primary connect to families and aid in providing guidance, engaging families, and coordinating with health care to support response activities such as family reunification
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Conduct initial response activities such as EMS, fire, police
Beyond initial emergency response activities, these local organizations often provide support to other emergency response/recovery functions during disasters
Key partner for coordination of local, tactical activities during incidents (such as decontamination or family reunification)
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Role: Oversees programs that offer resources to help victims of violent incidents, along with their families and community
May coordinate with State Office of Public Safety to provide subgrants to local community-based organizations and agencies providing services directly to victims
Key partner for coordination during incidents with active violence/terrorism
*Specific roles, responsibilities, and capabilities likely to vary based jurisdiction EG: Departments may be combined in some areas or may have different roles
Community Connections
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
CCBHCs are designed to provide access to coordinated comprehensive behavioral health and substance use disorder services to the community
During disasters, they may assist with assessing community needs, providing direct services, mobilizing crisis teams, and partner with other local crisis systems
Note: Role and capabilities are likely to vary from community to community
Note
Some are private, some are public.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
Behavioral health and crisis lines can serve as a valuable information sharing and intake point during disasters
Existing lines, such as 988, should be coordinated with during disasters to provide timely information and service referrals
Newly established lines, such as those created during implementation of the Crisis Counseling Program, can also provide information and referrals to impacted community members
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
Resource referral lines can often help distribute educational and resource access information
These lines may also be able to provide valuable data and insights related to mental and behavioral health needs expressed by callers
Framework Connections
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
These lines may be able to help provide education and technical assistance to support providers and systems that are receiving pediatric behavioral health needs due to a disaster – particularly when supported with specialized training/expertise. Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program (PMHCA) consultation lines can help expand system capacity through technical assistance support.
Summative information issues and organizations requesting assistance may provide valuable information on trends and unmet needs.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
PDBH Coordination
Potential Role/Capabilities
Essential partners to manage surge, share information, and coordinate joint-response and recovery activities.
Should be engaged through established response/recovery plans and coalitions, where possible.
Integration of behavioral health into existing health care coordination activities is critical.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
Potential Role/Capabilities
Urgent cares may be able to provide information regarding common trends and populations seeking behavioral health related support.
These partners may be supported by providing education and technical assistance related to PDBH needs and available resources.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
This partner can assist with distributing information, assess immediate needs, provide support for coping and safety guidance, and connect to services for acute or chronic needs. PCPs often have long-standing relationships with families and can serve as a conduit to reaching specific populations.
The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH)model emphasizes patient-centered, comprehensive, team-based, and coordinated care. Psychological First Aid (PFA) is a recommended universal intervention following disasters and complements the PCMH by addressing both physical and emotional needs during acute events, supporting whole-person care.
Both PCMH and PFA prioritize safety, emotional support, empowerment, and connection to resources. Their overlap ensures that care is both immediate and sustained, addressing acute distress and supporting long-term recovery.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Care
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
Key partner to engage in addition to public school entities.
Often public-school resources can be engaged as well in the event of an incident occurring in an independent school.
Any response/recovery activity conducted for public schools should be considered for replication in private schools.
Additionally, can likely assist in providing connections to groups such as Parent Teacher Associations.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
Key partner for distributing essential behavioral health related information to children/families with children.
May have unique behavioral health needs and challenges present during their services.
Potential partner to support onsite childcare needs during disasters.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
These organizations may be able to provide valuable subject matter expertise and resource referral to meet access, functional, and developmental needs of children during disasters.
Examples of these organizations include Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Offices.
Framework Connections
PDBH Situational Awareness
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
These organizations can provide input and lived experience to inform response and recovery strategies, communications, and potential community needs.
Can serve as a partner in distributing education and resources to families and caregivers in the community.
Framework Connections
PDBH Education & Technical Assistance
Potential Role/Capabilities
Libraries can often provide a variety of services such as bookmobiles, safe gathering and activity places, free Wi-Fi, and at times social workers.
Additionally, they can support distribution of guidance and training by serving as a community hub.
