The Institute for Disaster Mental Health (IDMH) at SUNY New Paltz will host its 19th annual conference on May 14 and 15 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
This year’s conference theme, “Beyond the Call: Sustaining Resilience in the Responder Community,” hearkens back to the origins of the IDMH. Since its founding soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the IDMH has served as a crucial resource in New York State and beyond, providing front-line responders, clinical practitioners and disaster relief volunteers with access to information and professional development on best practices in disaster mental health.
Their annual conference brings together specialists from police, fire, military, emergency management and mental health professions to exchange valuable insights. First responder leaders and managers will gain insights into the intricacies of their teams’ challenges and leave with the latest best practices to navigate and overcome them.
Registration is free of charge for the 2024 IDMH Conference, thanks to sponsorship from the NYS Office of Mental Health and NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, with additional support provided by Ulster County.
The IDMH will welcome special guest speakers Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, and Ann Marie T. Sullivan, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health.
Many more experts will be on hand giving presentations, participating in panels and leading workshops for attendees, including Jennifer Cooper, President of Line of Duty AZ; Robert Dabney, Program Director, Mobile Training Team Alpha at Boulder Crest Foundation; John Feal, Founder of the FealGood Foundation; Keita Franklin, Specialist Executive, Deloitte & Co-Director, Columbia Lighthouse Project; Ali Gheith, Director of the MPA-Emergency and Disaster Management at Metropolitan College of New York; Sgt. Travis Gibble (Retired), Founder of My Arena; Libby Parins, Chief of Staff, Center for Deployment Psychology; and Sgt. Christopher C.J. Scallion (Retired), Co-Founder of Trauma Behind the Badge.
About the Institute for Disaster Mental Health
The IDMH prepares students, community members, paraprofessionals, and professionals in the helping fields to care for others following a disaster via evidence-based disaster mental health interventions, content, and skills.
IDMH programs include developing and presenting professional trainings in disaster mental health; research and dissemination on training needs to improve community preparedness, and an annual conference or training that brings experts in the field to the New Paltz campus. The IDMH also supports a SUNY New Paltz interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in disaster studies.
The IDMH annual conference is the only one of its kind in New York State that brings together emergency managers with health and mental health personnel, who all must play a role in preparing for and responding to future disasters.
Click here to learn more about the Institute for Disaster Mental Health
