[StBernard] HHS Launches Oil Spill Distress Helpline

[Westley Annis]

HHS Launches Oil Spill Distress Helpline 


The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has launched a new toll-free
helpline to provide information, support and counseling for families and
children affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Oil Spill Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990) links callers to behavioral
healthcare services and will serve as an important resource for the
localized oil spill outreach efforts in the Gulf Coast States.

The helpline is funded by BP's contribution to the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The helpline will route
callers to the nearest Gulf Coast area crisis center, where trained staff
from the region will answer calls and provide assistance. Later this fall,
the crisis centers will provide support via text messages.

"We know that residents throughout the Gulf Coast region continue to deal
with the disruption to their livelihoods and communities caused by the oil
spill. The resulting stress they are feeling is real and if behavioral
health conditions are left untreated, we can expect that the situations
these individuals and their families are living in will worsen," said HHS
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The Oil Spill Distress Helpline will be a
critical tool in getting people the help they need."

"History tells us that the emotional impact of the devastating losses
experienced by individuals and families as a result of the oil spill will
continue to play out over the years to come," said SAMHSA Administrator
Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "Now that the immediate response phase has come to a
close, we are shifting our focus to long term recovery and being there for
gulf coast residents in need of emotional strength as they rebuild their
lives."

For more information, visit the HHS BP Gulf Oil Spill page at
http://www.hhs.gov/gulfoilspill/index.html.