One of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) most innovative resources is the SAMHSA Behavioral Health Disaster Response App (SAMHSA Disaster App, see Figure 1). In a disaster, it is essential that behavioral health responders have the resources they need—when and where they need them. The SAMHSA Disaster App was designed via a research-informed, user-centric process. Subject matter expertise to inform the development of content for disaster response and responders’ needs was provided by representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Defense, the American Red Cross, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and other government and academic organizations.
Prior to the release of the SAMHSA Disaster App, 8 qualitative interviews were conducted to measure usability and practicality. The participants were a convenience sample, chosen because each had 5 or more disaster-related deployments and a minimum of 11 years of disaster work experience; moreover, they were considered subject matter experts in the disaster behavioral health field. The interview process consisted of 1-hour semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded. The participants were provided a sample SAMHSA Disaster Kit and SAMHSA Disaster App download before the interview and were specifically asked questions regarding the usefulness of both items, prominent behavioral health needs and concerns following an emergency, and what features and information are most helpful in responding to a disaster scenario. Additionally, the participants were provided an opportunity to provide general feedback regarding their evaluation of the SAMHSA Disaster App.
The 8 interviews yielded the following key findings:
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∙ The SAMHSA Treatment Locator is a critical component in the usefulness of the app and the ability to preload treatment locations was considered a defining feature.
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∙ Being able to share resources with survivors in real time with de-identified contact information was noted as essential.
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∙ The readiness refresher, which provided a brief review of key counseling skills and information, was deemed vital and useful before deployment.
These key findings are based on interviews with a small sample; thus, we cannot generalize our findings at this time. Nonetheless, the SAMHSA Disaster App includes a provider feedback survey on the home screen which allows users to provide usability feedback. The feedback survey asks the following questions:
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∙ How did you hear about this app?
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∙ Have you had the opportunity to use this app in the field to aid disaster/trauma survivors?
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∙ How useful is this app to you?
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∙ Overall, how satisfied are you with this app?
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∙ What are one or two ways that this app could be enhanced?
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∙ How likely are you to recommend the SAMHSA Behavioral Health Disaster Response App to colleagues?
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∙ What are your primary job roles?
SAMHSA will collect approximately 200 responses to reach saturation and gain substantive insights for improvement. Once SAMHSA receives the required number of survey responses, SAMHSA will analyze the data to improve the effectiveness of the app.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The SAMHSA Disaster App is designed specifically for behavioral health responders and provides resources for any type of traumatic event at every phase of response: from predeployment readiness, to on-the-ground assistance, to postdeployment support. The app is also useful for teachers, parents, and caregivers; many of the resources were originally developed in hard copy format specifically to address the needs of these audiences. 1 These resources were utilized in various disaster situations innumerable times to address behavioral health needs specific to these populations.
The SAMHSA Disaster App improves timeliness and efficiency in a disaster because it lightens the load for responders by providing access to trauma and disaster-related behavioral health resources right on a smartphone, in real time, at the touch of a button. With or without Internet connectivity, the app brings together in one place resources that are otherwise available in different places online or in hard copy. The SAMHSA Disaster App is available on iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry devices and is supported by the most common phone software platforms. Before selection of the platforms, SAMHSA conducted formative research with federal employees, which revealed that employees routinely use their work BlackBerry and personal (iOS) devices at the same time in the field. Additionally, FEMA representatives stated that they were beginning to use government-issued iPads on deployments.
KEY FEATURES OF THE SAMHSA DISASTER APP
The SAMHSA Disaster App has an array of features. The SAMHSA Disaster App is the only app that is connected to SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator; 2 this feature allows responders to prepare in advance of deployment by searching for and mapping the locations of nearby treatment facilities according to services provided. The Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator data are obtained through the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) and the National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS); currently the locator has over 12,000 searchable facilities within the United States and US territories. The N-SSATS and N-MHSS are updated annually with weekly refreshes for minor corrections. Additionally, newly discovered facilities that meet the requirements are added to the database monthly.
Furthermore, responders can share information about treatment facilities and other content from the app with colleagues and survivors via text message or e-mail or by transferring the information to a computer for printing. Additionally, the SAMHSA Disaster App uniquely features the evidence-informed resources from SAMHSA’s Disaster Kit, 3 a go-to resource for disaster response comprising 28 hard copy publications, along with additional partner resources and hotlines; these materials have been converted into XML, enabling the content within the app to be updated automatically. To date, over 52,000 SAMHSA Disaster Kits have been distributed for multiple disasters, including large-scale disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
Responders can retrieve publications and predownloaded treatment locations at any time, with or without an Internet connection. In addition, responders can filter content by topic, audience, and language. The SAMHSA Disaster App allows responders to review training materials on a variety of topics, such as disaster counseling basics, terrorism response, or stress prevention and management tips. Another essential feature of the SAMHSA Disaster App allows responders to access resources for self-care and stress management to assist with returning home from deployment to everyday life. The SAMHSA Disaster App ensures that responders feel confident because they have the best possible disaster behavior health resources right at their fingertips. SAMHSA is dedicated to offering the nation exceptional resources to assist in recovery from disaster, and the SAMHSA Disaster App is the premiere resource for responders.
Figure 1 Mobile Phone View of the SAMHSA Behavioral Health Disaster Response App.
Acknowledgments
Special acknowledgements to Anne Mathews-Younes, EdD, DMin, the Director of the Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress and Special Programs, Center for Mental Health Services at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for her consultation and subject matter expertise regarding behavioral health.
