RELEASE: September 5, 2002

Previous Screen

5/21/07 - Project Phoenix is no longer an active DHS program. However, the department has established the Disaster & Terrorism Branch within the Division of Mental Health Services, in order to deal with emergency and crisis situations that may arise in New Jersey or nationally. Please refer to that website for further information: http://www.disastermentalhealthnj.com/

With the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaching, state officials, mental health experts and residents directly affected by the disaster gathered today to let New Jersey residents know that crisis counseling and other mental health services are readily available through Project Phoenix.

"There will be intense media coverage, there will be commemorative ceremonies and vigils to remember those who died and those who heroically responded to help their neighbors," said state Department of Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris. "These events may trigger a variety of emotional responses in people affected by 9/11 and we want to make sure that – if this happens – people know where to turn."

Joining Commissioner Harris at the podium were:

• Port Authority Police Sgt. John Flynn. A member of the Port Authority Police Emergency Service Unit in Jersey City, Sgt. Flynn was among the first emergency workers to respond to the World Trade Center attacks. He was present during the collapse of both towers and remained on the job, working at Ground Zero, until the site was officially closed March 22. The Port Authority police lost 37 officers on Sept. 11, including 10 in the Emergency Service Unit.

• Maureen Maddison, a mother of three from Florham Park, Morris County. Her husband, Simon Maddison, who worked on the 103^rd Floor of the World Trade Center for the Cantor Fitzgerald Co., was among the nearly 700 New Jersey residents who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

• Maureen Underwood, a clinical social worker who provides group counseling for women widowed by the events of 9/11 and their children. A nationally recognized expert in trauma services to children and adolescents, Underwood is a key resource to schools preparing to respond to the anniversary of 9/11.

Today’s program was held in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, beside the terminal building that served as the state Family Assistance Center in the months following the attack.

After the Family Assistance Center closed in March, Project Phoenix was initiated to continue providing services such as crisis counseling to families and disaster stress management services for emergency responders and counselors.

Funded by federal grants and administered by the state DHS Division of Mental Health Services, Project Phoenix offers a variety of activities and services in several counties.

Project Phoenix services are provided by a network of professionals, health care facilities, community-based organizations and local government agencies. The state Department of Health and Senior Services provides substance abuse treatment. About 137,000 New Jersey residents have already been served through Project Phoenix.

As the one-year anniversary approaches, mental health experts believe that people who were traumatized by the events of Sept. 11 may need crisis services again. In addition, Commissioner Harris noted that some effects from a disaster may not become evidence until months, or even years, after the event.

"That is why it is important that we continually remind people that it is never too late to reach out for help," Commissioner Harris said.

###