Coordinating a local response to a national tragedy: community mental health in Washington, DC after the Pentagon attack.

Concerns about the potential long-term mental health needs created by the Pentagon attack on September 11, 2001 and subsequent events raised concerns about the local system's capacity to respond. These concerns led to the establishment of the Mental Health Community Response Coalition, which has met regularly since September 23. The primary purpose of the Mental Health Community Response Coalition has been to provide vital opportunities for networking and information exchange between military service providers, the American Red Cross, local mental health agencies, and others. Prevention of duplication and overlap of services among different agencies has also been an important focus of the group. This paper outlines the structure of the coalition and lessons learned for the development of a coordinated mental health effort in response to a community crisis.