President’s Update

Dear LPA members,

As we become aware of the impact of Hurricane Laura across our state, I hope that we will all keep in mind members of our psychological community who are in areas impacted by the storm and who are suffering loss.  Unfortunately for many, this is not the first disaster they have had to manage.

Louisiana is a resilient community, but we work best when we work together.  Southwest Louisiana is a community that prior to this storm was underserved in mental and behavioral health.  I know that our public affairs committee will be meeting so that we can organize resources as we become aware of needs.  From past experiences, we know that each disaster is unique and that it is often best to listen to impacted communities, allow them to express their needs first, then organize response with what is needed rather than making assumptions.  If anyone is aware of a need, please let us know so that we at LPA can work to support those needs. I especially encourage members of our community in impacted areas to reach out to myself or to our Chair of public affairs, Dr. Courtland Chaney, if there is anything we can do to support you.

We do have resources regarding disaster response on our website with links to both national and local resources.

Sincerely,
Erin