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Law enforcement officers and emergency responders are often the first people to make contact with victims following a traumatic incident. Access to the right services can be critical to helping victims cope with and recover from their victimization. The organizations listed below can provide direct victim assistance during a crisis, support victims after a traumatic event, or help you understand and meet the immediate needs of crime victims.
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Disaster Relief & Response
 American Red Cross
The American Red Cross provides relief for victims of disasters and helps people prevent,
prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The web site offers guidelines and resource materials
for dealing with terrorism and unexpected events. Using the latest in telecommunications
technology, the Red Cross supplies services for the military that allow military members
stationed all over the world to send messages anytime to loved ones back home during an
emergency or other important events.
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT)
DMORT, a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, assists local
authorities during mass fatality incidents and responds only to requests made for federal
assistance.
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Medical Assistance
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and
disability. CDC goals include fostering safe and healthy environments, preventing violence and
unintentional injury, protecting individuals against emerging infectious diseases (including
bioterrorism), and using new technologies to provide credible health information.
Smallpox Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Smallpox Vaccine Injury Compensation Program provides eligible individuals with
compensation (e.g., medical expense and lost employment income) for injuries or deaths associated with the
smallpox vaccine. Benefit forms and applications are available online.
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Mental Health Assistance
American Psychological Association (APA) Help Center
APA provides an online help center with specific information about coping with terror-related
stress and trauma.
For more information or to consult with a professional, please visit http://helping.apa.org/request/.
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)
CMHS, a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers programs and funding for delivery
of mental health services. The Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress program provides
crisis counseling and education to victims of Presidentially declared disasters.
David Baldwin's Trauma Information Pages
This web site, compiled by psychologist David Baldwin, provides information for clinicians and researchers in the traumatic-stress field . It focuses on emotional trauma and traumatic stress, including posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociation, whether they develop following individual traumatic experiences or a large-scale disaster.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. (ICISF)
ICISF is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preventing and mitigating disabling stress. It offers
education and training, a certificate program, and consultation services to professionals in the
emergency services and mental health fields.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)/National Emergency Assistance Team
(NEAT)
NEAT is composed of nine nationally certified school psychologists who have had formal
training in and direct crisis experience with manmade and natural disasters. In an emergency,
NEAT can be reached within hours of a crisis. Team members train school psychologists and
other professionals in crisis preparedness and response. The NASP web site provides numerous
materials designed to help school psychologists and other officials establish school crisis teams.
National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The National Center for PTSD, mandated by Congress to advance the clinical care and social
welfare of U.S. veterans, provides educational information concerning PTSD and other
consequences of traumatic stress. The center's web site includes pages devoted to the effects of
traumatic experiences, assessment instruments, and terrorist attacks and children. The site also
includes a bibliographical database called PILOTS, which catalogs international literature
published on traumatic stress.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Alliance
The alliance provides educational resources for those at risk for developing PTSD, individuals
diagnosed with PTSD and their loved ones, and medical, health-care, and other frontline
professionals. Helpful publications include Hope for Recovery: Understanding Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder and PTSD: A Guide for Frontline Professionals (call 1-877-507-PTSD to order
copies).
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Resources for Victim Service Providers
National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA)
NOVA advocates for victims' rights, assists service providers, provides direct victim assistance,
offers emergency response training, coordinates a National Crisis Response Team, and operates a
toll-free referral hotline for victims of crime and disaster (1-800-TRY-NOVA).
 Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
OVC helps service providers deliver comprehensive, quality services to victims of crime. Its web
site provides numerous information resources for victims, including OVC's Handbook for
Coping After Terrorism and contact information for state victim assistance and compensation
programs. The OVC Resource Center (1-800-851-3420) is staffed by information specialists who
can answer questions, provide up-to-date research and statistics, and make appropriate service
referrals.
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Support for Families
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Disaster Response
AACAP has gathered facts, tips, and advice to help parents and others talk to kids about
terrorism and disasters. Information is available in English and Spanish.
The Compassionate Friends
This support organization provides people who have experienced the death of a child at any age,
from any cause, with an opportunity for sharing with and learning from other grievers. Members
offer friendship and understanding to bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings.
Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (COPS)
COPS provides resources and support for surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in
the line of duty, training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues, and public
education on the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors.
National Center for Grieving Children and Families (Dougy Center)
The Dougy Center provides resources and training locally, nationally, and internationally to
support individuals and organizations that help grieving children as they move through the
healing process.
National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC)
NCVC serves individuals, families, and communities harmed by crime. Center resources include
advocacy, victim services, training, a virtual library, and a toll-free helpline (1-800-FYI-CALL)
for referrals to crisis intervention, research information, assistance with the criminal justice
process, counseling, and support groups.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
The foundation's mission is to honor and remember America's fallen firefighters and provide
resources to assist their survivors. The Survivor Support Network matches survivors with similar
experiences and circumstances for mutual emotional assistance, and the Chief-to-Chief Network
helps fire chiefs handle a line-of-duty death through professional and personal support from other
chiefs who have been through the same loss.
National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC)
POMC offers parents and other survivors emotional support, information on the criminal justice
system, court accompaniment, and advocacy. Staff also provide consultation and training for
professionals who work with survivors.
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 See also related publications.
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