Healing Happens on Many Paths

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 This may be the multi-disciplinary team that was developed during the planning phase, immediately following the MVI, or it may be a new leadership committee. Either way this committee will meet to help address the various issues that will need to be address during the recovery process. 

Be sure to include Spiritual, Tribal and other community leaders with a reputation of trust. You may need to seek support from a neighboring community if your predominate leaders have been directly impacted. 

 A needs assessment of the overall impact of the MVI on victims/survivors, family members and community members is needed to identify needs so that they can be addressed through local, state, federal resources.

The focus of an assessment is to identify the needs of the whole person. Learn and even guide victims to identify and prioritize needs.

Click below for a copy of a needs assessment.

 Tragedies that occur in Alaska Native villages impact every person and in many different ways. When to conduct a Healing Session and how to do so have been thoughtfully planned and outlined by a team through the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).  To learn more about organizing a Healing Session, please refer to ANTHC's publication, "Doorway to a Sacred Place: Restoring community wellness and responding to traumatic evens with culturally relevant practices.  

(Link will be added if/when permission is granted)

 If the case will be going through the court system, victims, survivors, and family members will need help with the return of personal effects, victim impact statements, media management, support during the trials (e.g., financial assistance, housing, transportation) and access to notification during the investigation, prosecution, court hearings, adjudication, sentencing and prisoner status.  

A CRC provides ongoing services after the Family Assistance Center closes – it is best to open the Center as soon as possible in a place where people would naturally gather. Usually it is not too close to the MVI site so that victims/survivors and community members are not re-traumatized by going there. However, sometimes it is helpful to have it close to the MVI site. An example would be near a school where the MVI took place so that the students have easy access to the Center. 

When Setting  up a CRC

a. Establish an advisory committee

b. Hire staff

c. Plan an outreach effort to inform people about the Center

d. It is helpful to have individual rooms, group rooms, and large rooms for people to gather

e. Provide trauma informed care

f. Need to have a website specifically for the CRC

i. What services are available

ii. Link to community services

iii. Video library

iv. Resource library

v. Victim Compensation application

vi. Information offered in multiple languages

vii. Password access for victims & survivors chat rooms or notification about court hearings

viii. Resources for suicide prevention

g. It is helpful to have instant chats, but it is not necessary to have 24 coverage – can have set hours

h. It is helpful to have someone answer the phone as much as possible rather than having someone leave a message

i. It is a long-term place where services are provided – may be open for up to 3 years

j. Need to have flexible hours including some nights and weekends

k. Plan for peer support

l. Have various groups – survivors groups, families who have lost a loved one in the MVI, parents groups

m. First responders can use CRC, but need to have designated places and services for them

• n. It can be a place where people go during the trial (if they are not at the courthouse) for support and services

Customers have questions, you have answers. Display the most frequently asked questions, so everybody benefits.

Initial

Initial memorial activities are usually temporary and/or spontaneous They form immediately after the MVI or may be planned by community leaders. It needs to be decided how long the memorial(s) will stay at that location and what will be done with the items that are left there. Very often these items are preserved, and some items may be given to survivors.

Permanent

Permanent memorials often take years to develop and are developed by the victims and survivors with the help of community leaders and volunteers. Private funds have to be raised for these types of memorials.

http://www.columbinememorial.org/overview/

https://www.visitaurora.com/directory/7-20-memorial/

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2019/08/19/boston-marathon-bombing-memorial-complete

  These will often occur at certain times such as one year after the event. Often these are planned by the survivors with help from victim advocates and community leaders