Hernandez-Tejada and Acierno Travel to Spain for Phase II of Flooding Relief

Melba Hernandez-Tejada PhD, DHA, and Ron Acierno, PhD, executive director of the UTHealth Houston Trauma and Resilience Center (TRC), recently completed the second phase of a project to support providers with Mental Health Services of the Valencian Community in Spain after the devastating floods of October 2024. Hernandez-Tejada is an associate professor and Acierno is a professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

This flood destroyed some areas of Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, with a population of affected victims of about 190,000 people. More than 235 people died, and thousands were displaced or homeless.

To prepare for the project, members of the UTHealth Houston team participated in online trainings for Valencian providers. During the first phase of the project in March, in-person training in Spain was provided by Cesar Soutullo, MD, PhD, the John S. Dunn Professor and vice chair and chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Leslie Taylor, PhD, associate professor and director of the BRYTE program; and Sarly Butte, , director of TRC adult services at the school.

Following the first phase of training, where evidence-based psychotherapy and psychopharmacology strategies were also introduced, Acierno and Hernandez-Tejada traveled to Spain to conduct additional in-person sessions in May. During this second training, an 67 mental health professionals were in attendance, including psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses.

The first phase also covered treating post-traumatic stress disorder in children as well as adults, and pharmacological best practices. Hernandez-Tejada and Acierno focused on older adults, as this group segment represented one of the most affected by the Valencian floodings. They also conducted intensive training in evidence-based treatment for depression and grief.

One of the reasons the TRC team got involved with the mental health services team from Valencia was through the connections of Soutullo, who trained and practiced in Spain prior to joining UTHealth Houston. Another reason was because of past expertise of the UTHealth Houston team with natural disasters.

Acierno, who holds the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the team at the UTHealth Houston TRC have extensive experience supporting communities following hurricanes, floods, and other traumatic events. Acierno has collaborated in the past with the governments of Japan and Vietnam to train their mental health providers to provide mental health support when natural disasters occur in communities. This partnership reflects the UTHealth Houston TRC commitment to collaboration, not only at the national level, but also globally, and to advancing trauma-informed care wherever it is needed.

Hernandez-Tejada and the rest of the TRC team are proud to be a part of the recovery efforts, and to be a natural partner to their colleagues in Valencia.

“I think it speaks to the expertise we have in the Trauma and Resilience Center,” Hernandez-Tejada said. “The TRC team is honored to contribute to the recovery process and to serve as a trusted partner in building capacity for trauma treatment that will help provide solutions for a community that has experienced these types of natural disasters.”