On December 26, 2004, a devastating tsunami ravaged much of Southeast Asia, leaving in its wake panic and devastation. More than 280,000 children and adults died, including nearly 35,000 in the tiny island nation of Sri Lanka. Dr. Debra L. Wentz, a New Jersey resident in Sri Lanka to attend a friend’s wedding, escaped the raging waters by mere seconds. As the executive director of the New Jersey Mental Health Institute and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, Inc., Dr. Wentz understood the staggering long-term mental health needs that would follow, long after rescuers tended to the medical and physical needs of victims and survivors. In response, Dr. Wentz formed the Tsunami Mental Health Relief Project.
Partnering with the Neurosurgery Development Foundation (NDF), a local Sri Lankan charitable organization that provided logistical support, Debra reached out to her professional peers in New Jersey’s mental health community. Under her leadership, the group developed a program to train local counselors, the medical community, teachers, and religious and community leaders to deal with post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses in the wake of the disaster. Dr. Wentz recruited such luminaries as Barbara Maurer, an expert trainer who has worked with survivors of 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing. Veronica Jayagoda, a native Sri Lankan living in North America with extensive experience in child welfare and knowledge of the religions, beliefs, and languages of the country, joined to assist as cultural ambassador.
The team went to Sri Lanka in July 2005. The number of attendees doubled what the arriving mental health experts expected, but they turned no one away from the three-day sessions. Many of the trainees had lost family members themselves, yet began working in the refugee camps to alleviate the suffering of others. In the southern region, attendees agreed to meet once a month to work on solutions to the ongoing problems and to develop a support system for one another and those they served. The training focused attention on the long-term affects of trauma, helping service providers and others understand the impact of grief and trauma, identify people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and learn the strategies to address these affliction. But the work has only begun. Dr. Wentz plans to send the team back to Sri Lanka in Spring 2006.
Debra incorporated the Tsunami Mental Health Relief Project into the New Jersey Mental Health Institute, the organization she leads as executive director, for legal and logistical purposes. However, Debra developed the concept, conducted fundraising, and oversaw the execution solely on her own. Due to stigma and discrimination, Sri Lanka’s mental health system differs vastly from that of the United States. Debra feared the immediate and long-term mental health needs of the tsunami survivors would be unlike anything the world had ever seen. Debra took it upon herself to ensure that the world did not forget the mental health needs of the tsunami victims. The Tsunami Mental Health Relief Project provides vital, long-term assistance to survivors and future generations of Sri Lankans, helping them deal with the emotional impact of the historic natural disaster -- and nearly unprecedented scale of personal loss.
To learn more about Dr. Wentz and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit:
For donations:
www.njmhi.org.
For project updates:
www.njamha.org.
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