In addition to food and clothing distribution centers, and cleaning out debris, community gatherings such as movie nights, women’s luncheon, workshops on stress management and coping, and other opportunities for building community became an integral part of our everyday walk with individuals and families.
However, by 2007, the long-term effects of living in the post-Katrina world led to increases in domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism, substance abuse, mental and physical health problems and anger management issues.
In 2008 a grant from The Jewish Federation of North America provided Resiliency Training in Hancock County through St. Rose Outreach and Recovery. By utilizing the BASIC Ph model developed by Mooli Lahad from the Community Stress Prevention Center in Israel, Ruvie Rogel, PhD provided training over an 18 month period of time.
This training was focused on reaching residents in Business, Government, Education and the Arts. Also service oriented providers including hospitality, hair dressers, clergy and nurses were trained to provide a greater ripple effect of the training within the community.
This effort resulted in the certification of 23 Train the Trainers and 348 persons attending a variety of 3-day resiliency trainings and workshops. Special attention was paid to fire fighters who received on site sessions with Ruvie Rogel, PhD.
The grant also allotted a significant portion of resources for special attention to teenagers within the community. The grant money was used to initiate the Challenge Day Program in Bay High Schools, resulting in ten Challenge Day programs held at Bay High and Lady on the Gulf Girls Academy.
At the Bay High every student and teacher attended the program and 150 facilitators. The school holds a follow up “Be the Change” club during school hours, however timing makes it difficult for students to attend.
Over the past 6-years, we have worked with over 5,000 volunteers who served in Hancock County from organizations such as: St. Rose Outreach and Recovery, AmeriCorps, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Church World Service, Hancock Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Hancock County Resource Center, 8 Days of Hope, Bay Waveland School District, City of Bay Saint Louis, Hancock County Emergency Management, and Bucks Mont Katrina.
AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers, as well as The University of Southern Mississippi, have been ongoing sources of help, encouragement and support to continue Community Outreach including the sponsoring of health fairs for local residents. Additionally many professors contributed to the rebuilding and recovery efforts through personal and community endeavors.
The overall goal of this collaborative venture is to develop and implement the Lifestyle Resiliency Center (LRC) located in Bay St. Louis to serve residents of Hancock County across a 10-year time frame. The LRC will provide a holistic ‘One Stop Shop’ approach to residents to deepen and expand their knowledge and practice of resiliency as a means of coping with stress and crisis from natural and man-made disaster through each of its five (5) education, training and support programs.
Central to each LRC program is understanding how individuals cope with trauma and the psychological stress associated with extended periods of feeling at-risk is critical to helping them manage their reactions. Threat related stress can be caused by a variety of circumstances such as personally experiencing a traumatic event, living in a neighborhood with frequent drive-by shootings, proximity to repeated acts of terrorism such as suicide bombings, living in a war zone, or experiencing reoccurring natural disasters such as the Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Even the cumulative exposure to news accounts of natural disasters can lead to psychological distress in some people.
How an individual reacts to a traumatic event or an ongoing sense of danger depends on both their personal risk factors and coping strategies. Mental health care providers need to be aware of an individual's risk factors (e.g., actual proximity to an event, past exposure to trauma, mental health problems, isolation, family stress, and loss or fear of loss of a loved one directly at risk) in order to recognize potential problems and provide the necessary supports. Similarly, recognizing an individual's unique coping style enables mental health professionals and other caregivers to better support their needs and reinforce their coping strengths.
Each LRC program will be staffed by qualified individuals with a depth of knowledge and commitment to the health and well-being of Hancock County residents. The staff and volunteers represent hundreds of cumulative years of experience and dedication to the service of others and healthy living values. Existing community partnerships with individuals, non-governmental groups, such as art and cultural groups, non-profit groups, governmental groups, churches, schools, colleges/universities, and businesses will be strengthened to provide support and services for the LRC.