STUDY INTO EFFECTS OF BOMB
Study into effects of bomb
BY: BARRY O'DONNELL
THE Sperrin Lakeland Health Trust, has announced details of an extensive study it is due to undertake to gauge the impact of the Market Street bombing atrocity across the wider Omagh community.
Launching the initiative David Bolton, the Trust's Director of Community Care, stressed that it was vital that every family within the district participated in the large scale community survey.
He stated that public feedback would enable the health authority to pinpoint specific areas of local need and so shape its services to address those concerns.
This week the Trust is delivering information leaflets explaining the purpose of the study to 15,000 households within the Omagh district, which will be followed thereafter by a questionnaire to be sent to every adult on the local electoral register.
Mr Bolton initially outlined details of the study at a Trust board meeting last Thursday in the Tyrone County Hospital and this week he further explained the rationale behind the initiative.
"We are already aware that the bombing has had a significant impact on the community. We feel, however, that it is important we hear from everyone about the impact on them and their families.
"By participating in the study, people living in the Omagh district will be able to help the Trust in establishing the level of need arising from the bombing. This will then help us to plan our services.
"We also hope the findings will be able to assist other communities who may in the future experience other tragedies and others who have been affected by violence" said Mr Bolton.
The Trust director, who also heads up the Community Trauma and Recovery Team set up in the aftermath of the August 15 attack, felt that it was imperative that they ask people how they were affected by the event rather than they make assumptions on their behalf.
The Trust will be working in conjunction with Oxford University which had had previous experience in carrying out large scale studies and will assist in drawing together the findings.
Dr Kate Gillespie, Consultant Psychiatrist with the Trust, will be working closely with Professor David Clark, who will provide a report of the study's findings to the Trust.
Dr Gillespie encouraged everyone who received a questionnaire to respond.
Even if someone feels they are not unduly distressed by the bombing, we want to hear from them. Everyone's views will be important in building a picture on the impact of the bombing and in helping us shape our services.
"To see how the needs of the community change over time we would like to follow up the questionnaire at sometime in the future and will be asking respondents to indicate if the are willing to participate in a future study" Dr Gillespie added.
Meanwhile Mr Bolton informed members at last week's board meeting that over 350 individuals had so far been referred to the Community and Trauma Team. 70 of these cases have since been closed, but the team was still actively involved with 271.
The Trust director revealed that 92 of the referrals were children aged under eighteen, although other youngsters were presently being seen by the Child and Adolescent Psychology Department as well as various voluntary organisations.
Mr Bolton disclosed that 235 of the referrals were female and 115 were male. He said that they could deduce from this the fact that men had a different means of coping with their emotions although he encouraged more to come forward and speak to members of the trauma team.
He said that 99 of the individuals had referred themselves to the Trust team, 64 were referred by relatives, 57 by other HSS professionals, 30 by G.Ps, 6 by the Omagh Fund and 57 by others.
Other statistics he displayed indicated that 346 individuals have sought help from Victim Support, 45 from the TARA Centre and 52 from WAVE. The Samaritans had also reported a 25 per cent increase in calls over the Christmas period, including 60 one particular day following a bomb scare in the town centre, when normally they would expect to receive on average six telephone calls.
Mr Bolton paid tribute to the various voluntary organisations, adding that the Trust felt privileged to be working in tandem with them.
During the meeting, Mr Bolton made reference to the recent visit of the Chief Social Services Inspector, Kevin McCoy, and his deputy, Paul Martin, to the Bridge Centre and Tyrone County Hospital.
During their visit they met with members of the physiotherapy and trauma teams and later had discussions with representatives of the bereaved relatives. They also had a meeting with ten young people injured by the bombing who were presently availing of the Trust's teams services.
Mr Bolton said that the visitors were greatly moved by the discussions they had with the victims and he felt that it was clear that many young people were still suffering day by day. both psychologically and emotionally, because of the horrific events of August 15.
He indicated that the Trust also intend to initiate a study specifically for the youth of the district to determine how the bombing had affected them.
Sperrin Lakeland has stressed that the information, garnered as a result of the questionnaire distributed next week to the local electorate will remain strictly confidential to the professional organisation that is sending it out for the research team.
The findings of the study will be in the form of an overview of the responses provided and will not include personal information. The Trust will also make available a summary of the findings through the local press, so people can see for themselves the outcomes of the study.
As well as the questionnaire, the Trust will also distribute some information on where people bereaved, injured or distressed by the bomb, can access help and support. Anyone who is interested in seeking advice or support for themselves or their family should contact the Bridge Centre at 5a Holmview Terrace on Omagh 252599.
BY: BARRY O'DONNELL
THE Sperrin Lakeland Health Trust, has announced details of an extensive study it is due to undertake to gauge the impact of the Market Street bombing atrocity across the wider Omagh community.
Launching the initiative David Bolton, the Trust's Director of Community Care, stressed that it was vital that every family within the district participated in the large scale community survey.
He stated that public feedback would enable the health authority to pinpoint specific areas of local need and so shape its services to address those concerns.
This week the Trust is delivering information leaflets explaining the purpose of the study to 15,000 households within the Omagh district, which will be followed thereafter by a questionnaire to be sent to every adult on the local electoral register.
Mr Bolton initially outlined details of the study at a Trust board meeting last Thursday in the Tyrone County Hospital and this week he further explained the rationale behind the initiative.
"We are already aware that the bombing has had a significant impact on the community. We feel, however, that it is important we hear from everyone about the impact on them and their families.
"By participating in the study, people living in the Omagh district will be able to help the Trust in establishing the level of need arising from the bombing. This will then help us to plan our services.
"We also hope the findings will be able to assist other communities who may in the future experience other tragedies and others who have been affected by violence" said Mr Bolton.
The Trust director, who also heads up the Community Trauma and Recovery Team set up in the aftermath of the August 15 attack, felt that it was imperative that they ask people how they were affected by the event rather than they make assumptions on their behalf.
The Trust will be working in conjunction with Oxford University which had had previous experience in carrying out large scale studies and will assist in drawing together the findings.
Dr Kate Gillespie, Consultant Psychiatrist with the Trust, will be working closely with Professor David Clark, who will provide a report of the study's findings to the Trust.
Dr Gillespie encouraged everyone who received a questionnaire to respond.
Even if someone feels they are not unduly distressed by the bombing, we want to hear from them. Everyone's views will be important in building a picture on the impact of the bombing and in helping us shape our services.
"To see how the needs of the community change over time we would like to follow up the questionnaire at sometime in the future and will be asking respondents to indicate if the are willing to participate in a future study" Dr Gillespie added.
Meanwhile Mr Bolton informed members at last week's board meeting that over 350 individuals had so far been referred to the Community and Trauma Team. 70 of these cases have since been closed, but the team was still actively involved with 271.
The Trust director revealed that 92 of the referrals were children aged under eighteen, although other youngsters were presently being seen by the Child and Adolescent Psychology Department as well as various voluntary organisations.
Mr Bolton disclosed that 235 of the referrals were female and 115 were male. He said that they could deduce from this the fact that men had a different means of coping with their emotions although he encouraged more to come forward and speak to members of the trauma team.
He said that 99 of the individuals had referred themselves to the Trust team, 64 were referred by relatives, 57 by other HSS professionals, 30 by G.Ps, 6 by the Omagh Fund and 57 by others.
Other statistics he displayed indicated that 346 individuals have sought help from Victim Support, 45 from the TARA Centre and 52 from WAVE. The Samaritans had also reported a 25 per cent increase in calls over the Christmas period, including 60 one particular day following a bomb scare in the town centre, when normally they would expect to receive on average six telephone calls.
Mr Bolton paid tribute to the various voluntary organisations, adding that the Trust felt privileged to be working in tandem with them.
During the meeting, Mr Bolton made reference to the recent visit of the Chief Social Services Inspector, Kevin McCoy, and his deputy, Paul Martin, to the Bridge Centre and Tyrone County Hospital.
During their visit they met with members of the physiotherapy and trauma teams and later had discussions with representatives of the bereaved relatives. They also had a meeting with ten young people injured by the bombing who were presently availing of the Trust's teams services.
Mr Bolton said that the visitors were greatly moved by the discussions they had with the victims and he felt that it was clear that many young people were still suffering day by day. both psychologically and emotionally, because of the horrific events of August 15.
He indicated that the Trust also intend to initiate a study specifically for the youth of the district to determine how the bombing had affected them.
Sperrin Lakeland has stressed that the information, garnered as a result of the questionnaire distributed next week to the local electorate will remain strictly confidential to the professional organisation that is sending it out for the research team.
The findings of the study will be in the form of an overview of the responses provided and will not include personal information. The Trust will also make available a summary of the findings through the local press, so people can see for themselves the outcomes of the study.
As well as the questionnaire, the Trust will also distribute some information on where people bereaved, injured or distressed by the bomb, can access help and support. Anyone who is interested in seeking advice or support for themselves or their family should contact the Bridge Centre at 5a Holmview Terrace on Omagh 252599.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0719
Published Date: 04-Feb-99
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