Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz Announces Upcoming Webinar on Effective Response to Chemical Disasters

(Jan. 21, 2025) The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of NY (SUNY) at New Paltz has announced an upcoming webinar with Dr. David Heslop of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, and Barbara Thomas and Emily Probst of the American Red Cross (ARC) of Northern Ohio that will discuss the intricacies of responding to a chemical disaster, with focus on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and chemical spill.

During the webcast on Mon., Feb. 24, 2025, from 2-3:30 p.m. ET, Dr. Heslop will examine the importance of leadership command, control, and, most importantly, effective communication (known as “C3”) between authorities, victims, and others during the early stages of response. Implications of ineffective C3 during chemical events will also be explored, as well as evidence supporting how to mitigate system failures, with focus on addressing the holistic needs of both the individual victim and the responders. Considerations of how health and emergency response systems can improve will be discussed as well. Ms. Thomas and Ms. Probst, meanwhile, will share their knowledge and experience working on the ground with the ARC following the train derailment in East Palestine, with focus on their collaboration with other responding agencies and some unique aspects of this particular response.

A flyer with more information about the webinar is available here, and the link to register through the Department of Health (DOH) Learning Management System (LMS) is here.