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As Hurricane Season Opens, Americares Helps Puerto Ricans Deal with the Trauma of Devastating Storms
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As Puerto Rico heads into hurricane season, thousands of health workers and first responders across the island are better prepared to cope with stress and trauma caused by major storms.
— an announcement from Americares
Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, teaches coping skills and psychological first aid through its Hurricane Maria Recovery Program. More than 6,000 health workers and first responders throughout the island have participated in group training sessions to date. “Health workers and first responders are on the front lines of emergencies and often put the needs of patients and their communities before their own,” said Dr. Brenda Rivera-García, Puerto Rico director for Americares. “They suffer from job burnout, depression and anxiety that affects both their work and personal lives,” she said. We teach self-care strategies that build resilience and better prepare them for the next storm.”
Americares made a commitment to expand access to mental health and psychosocial services for health workers and first responders on the front lines of the recovery in Puerto Rico at the Clinton Global Initiative Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery in April 2018.