USD professor assists AR crash

USD professor assists AR crash Professor Gerard Jacobs, director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute at The University of South Dakota, has been called to assist the victims of the June 1 plane crash in Little Rock, AR, as a mental health officer. Jacobs had been stationed in Oklahoma City as a volunteer in the national relief effort after tornadoes hit that area last month. Jacobs was sent to the Arkansas crash site early June 2 after the American Airlines flight crashed upon landing late June 1 during a storm in Little Rock. One hundred and forty-five passengers were on board the plane and nine fatalities have been confirmed by rescuers thus far. Jacobs will assist the victims at the crash site while his mental health services and experience are needed. He will provide mental health assistance to the passengers, their families, emergency workers and others involved in the plane crash and rescue effort. A nationally recognized expert in the disaster mental health field, Jacobs is one of only two national consultants for Disaster Mental Health for the American Red Cross, a volunteer position. He has been a national consultant since 1993 and cites his first major experience dealing in disaster as the United Airlines Flight 232 plane crash in 1989 in Sioux City, IA.