Integratio of a small clinic into the Pentagon response: The Bolling Air Force base perspective

Military Medicine, Sep 2002 by Furman, Kenneth A

The efforts of the Bolling Behavioral Health Flight continue past the events of and short-term response to the September 11 terrorist attack. The first permanent mental health presence within the Pentagon has been established with provider staff having appointments available to assist individuals with post-- September 11 difficulties or more routine mental health concerns. Individuals impacted by the events or striving to cope with the increased mission demands of the base are seen within the Boiling clinic. Staff regularly discuss and train for current taskings and future contingencies. Air Force Reserve personnel have been augmenting the Behavioral Health Flight in these efforts since shortly after the attack. Boiling personnel are part of the Pentagon Mental Health Community Response Group, an ongoing effort to coordinate civilian and military helping agencies.

Discussion

The terrorist attacks of September 11 provoked a massive and complex response by both military and civilian emergency systems, including both short-term and long-term mental health responses. The scope and nature of the attacks meant that many of the "established" plans for disaster response were inadequate. New ways of dealing with this type of disaster, including the need to meld civilian and differing military organizations into a cohesive response were needed. This article attempts to demonstrate that small, local military treatment facilities can be successfully integrated into a larger disaster response. The need clearly exists for planners to use these helping resources until such time that larger response teams can respond. Several advantages exist in terms of using these resources. First, these smaller helping agencies are able to respond in an immediate fashion. Their proximity to the local area and small size ensure that they can respond promptly and with much more flexibility than can larger units that need time to "gear-up." Additionally, use of these resources takes advantage of their greater knowledge of local conditions and pre-existing relationships already developed with area organizations. Particularly in military organizations where there can be suspicion of "outsiders," this aspect must not be overlooked. In many cases, as demonstrated by the Bolling AFB Behavioral Health Clinic, the knowledge of and pre-existing relationships with impacted units can be critical in helping to gain access to target groups by virtue of already being "trusted" and credible. Additionally, local medical personnel often have a greater understanding of the history, mission, and needs and can assist those in charge of coordinating the larger response with better targeting and deploying interventions. Although a contingency of the scale of the Pentagon terrorist attack is beyond the scope of any one clinic's ability to respond adequately, clearly there is an important role for individual organizations and their personnel to assist with the global response.

Guarantor: Maj Kenneth A. Furman, USAF BSC