Washington, DC (May 31, 2007) —The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare announced an emergency grant to the Iroquois Center for Human Development in Greensburg, Kansas, which was devastated in the May 4 tornado that leveled the town and killed 12 people.

The $10,000 donation was awarded under the National Council’s Project Helping Hands, a program to help mental health and addictions treatment organizations sustain critical staffing and services in the wake of disaster. The National Council launched Project Helping Hands with financial support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“The tornado that ravaged Greensburg destroyed much of the Iroquois Center,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council, “Many people with serious mental illnesses who were living in the community lost everything and they need help fast. Behavioral health services become even more essential when a community is torn apart by disaster.”

The tornado literally wiped out Greensburg, a farm town of 1,500 residents, and destroyed many of the Iroquois Center’s facilities, including the homes of patients in the center’s widely recognized program to help persons with serious mental illnesses transition back to living in the community. More than half the center’s staff of about 60 people also lost their homes.

“We appreciate the National Council’s generous grant,” said Sheldon Carpenter, Executive Director of the Iroquois Center. “The support is valuable at a time when we’re working hard to provide services while struggling with a number of staff who have lost everything. It’s important that we continue to pay staff and recognize the heroic job they’re doing in a time of crisis.”

Many of Greensburg’s residents are struggling to pick up and move on, living in FEMA trailers and makeshift homes. The condition of those with pre-existing mental illnesses and addictions is expected to worsen as they fully experience the magnitude of the disaster and loss. In addition, it is estimated that up to 25 to 30 percent of people — in communities exposed to significant disaster — typically experience new mental health problems.

Only an immediate and targeted response to the needs of both groups of people can avert a crisis, said Rosenberg. “We’re proud of the way Iroquois staff are reaching out to those in need despite their own loss and displacement. And we all need to support them,” she added.

Sheldon Carpenter reiterates that trying to maintain services and meet new needs in the face of destroyed facilities, dwindling funds, and a depleted staff is a challenge that Iroquois struggles with every day. “Scare resources already made it difficult for us to pay competitive salaries to attract a skilled workforce,” said Carpenter. “Now we are not sure how many of our staff will come back in the long run — they’re still making decisions about rebuilding homes versus moving to different communities and jobs.”

Those who wish to make donations to Project Helping Hands can call the National Council at 301.984.6200 or email HelpingHands@nccbh.org.

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) association representing 1,300 mental health and addictions treatment and rehabilitation organizations that serve nearly six million adults, children, and families in communities across America. Learn more at www.thenationalcouncil.org.