Psychiatric Services

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article ArticleFull AccessProject Liberty: New York's Crisis Counseling Program Created in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001Sheila A. Donahue M.A.Carol B. Lanzara J.D., M.S.Chip J. Felton M.S.W.Susan M. Essock Ph.D.Sharon Carpinello Ph.D., R.N.Sheila A. Donahue M.A.Search for more papers by this authorCarol B. Lanzara J.D., M.S.Search for more papers by this authorChip J. Felton M.S.W.Search for more papers by this authorSusan M. Essock Ph.D.Search for more papers by this authorSharon Carpinello Ph.D., R.N.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Sep 2006AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Immediately after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, President Bush declared a federal disaster area in New York City and the ten surrounding New York counties because they contained large populations that commute to Manhattan to work. The declaration made these areas eligible for a range of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs, including the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, which supports short-term interventions for individuals and groups experiencing psychological sequelae to large-scale disasters.As the state mental health authority, the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYOMH) administered and oversaw the design, implementation, and evaluation of Project Liberty, New York's FEMA-funded crisis counseling program that was created to respond to the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. The agency sought and was awarded more than $155 million in federal funding for Project Liberty ($137 million was ultimately spent), making it the most highly funded crisis counseling program in FEMA's history. NYOMH created an infrastructure that made it possible for local mental health authorities and provider agencies to successfully meet the mental health needs in their communities that were associated with the a...