Immediately following the hurricane, Galveston and Brazoria counties were faced with so many losses. After 10 feet of water at the Shearn Moody Plaza, the Galveston MHMR clinic was closed. The UTMB Rebecca Sealy Psychiatric division shut down 28 beds in the locked unit. Many case mangers and Galveston Gulf Coast Center (GCC) staff did not return after Ike and those that stayed were coping, and still are coping, with relocating and rebuilding their own homes. Residents, workers and business owners were not allowed to cross the Galveston causeway.
Even with those hurdles, two days after Ike made landfall on Galveston and Brazoria counties, Executive Director Mike Winburn and The Gulf Coast Center staff went into action. With the help of the Galveston County Sheriff’s department Gulf Coast Center staff were escorted to the island in an effort to relocate the Galveston Island clinic staff, recover a vast amount of medical/case management records all while making contact with 290 of the 391 active GCC consumers and reconnecting with Gulf Coast Center staff.
Within one week post “Ike”, Gulf Coast Center staff managed to establish the Mobile Mental Health Unit. This unit proved to be a valuable service comprised of GCC liaison/case management staff, GCC physicians, UTMB faculty physicians and residents while offering medication provision services. Eventually, displaced UTMB faculty/residents occupied space at The Alamo Shelter (also known as “Tent City”). Case management workers frequented the shelter in an effort to maintain connection with GCC established consumers, reconnect with arriving consumers, connect with individuals on GCC’s waiting list and determine services for those eligible after the disaster.
Within six weeks after the disaster, The Gulf Coast Center was successful in reinstating all mental health services in the two county catchment areas. GCC’s Recovery Services re-located the following services to the Texas City Outpatient Clinic (7510 FM 1765): Galveston County Outpatient Treatment, SOS Residential Case Management, HIV Early Intervention, HIV Outreach, Co-Occurring Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Case Management. All services were operational the Monday following the storm.
By the beginning of 2009, the Gulf Center’s Executive Management Team was successful in coordinating several beds and ultimately confirming a total of 19 beds at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Galveston County Children’s Clinic held hurricane related groups for children and adolescents prior to schools returning to address fears and anxiety specific to the storm. MH Child Services went to POD’s to pick up food/water to take to families while completing home visits to check on their welfare assisting families with registering for FEMA. MH Child Services provided education sessions around recovery in the homes/offices for families.
What many people do not know is that this team was hit hard with news days before the hurricane that the second in command Chief Operating Officer was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away only a few short months after the hurricane. Even with the stresses of coping with the loss of one of their own, the loss of their homes and working for so many weeks in make shift offices, the Gulf Coast Center staff remarkably pulled through and are continuing to rebuild and recover.
Before, during and after the recovery process Mike Winburn continues to be vigilant in connecting and advocating with legislatures to ensure funding for recovery and services.
As the recovery process continues Galveston and Brazoria counties are consistently faced with the mental health recovery process, keeping in mind that many factors can contribute to higher levels of mental health distress among affected individuals; factors such as frequent relocations due to lack of available/affordable housing, poor physical health, and lack of an adequate support system are just a few factors.
One thing we do know, The Gulf Coast Center team is there to weather the storm!