COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 1
Community Disaster Plan for Lynchburg, Virginia
Brad Walch
School of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Liberty University
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 2
Part 1: Referral List
Career and Education Services
1.0000 Center for Employment Training (CET)
(434) 455-1601
915 Main Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0computer or internet access, skills & training, interview training, resume
development, help find work, GED/high-school equivalency.
2.0000 Future Focus Foundation
(434) 832-7731
3506 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0prepares students for Sci-tech careers in the Central Virginia Region.
3.0000 Parkview Community Mission: Life Skills Institute0
(434) 845-8468
2323 Memorial Avenue, Suite 26, Lynchburg, VA 245010
Summary of services:0help neighbors learn skills that are needed to live well. Free classes are used to
develop practical skills for living, keeping a clean home, budgeting, career strengthening, and basic computer
classes.
4.0000 Sylvan Learning of Lynchburg0
(434) 473-7092
8116 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0tutoring programs for children to with personalized training programs coupled
with motivation programs that improve children’s self-esteem and academic performance.
5.0000 Virginia Career Works Lynchburg Center – humankind.org
(434) 455-5940
3125 Odd Fellows Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0workshops on job success and work maturity, initial assessment of skills,
aptitudes, supportive service needs, resume making and interview preparation, job search and placement
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 3
assistance, and computer labs.
Food Assistance
6.0000 Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
(434) 845-4099
501B 12th0Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0provides food and partners with Meals on Wheels, SNAP/Food Stamps, No Kid
Hungry, CommonHelp Virginia Department of Social Services.
7.0000 Community Feeding Program – The Salvation Army
(434) 845-5939
2215 Park Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides hot meals for those in need in the community. The Center takes
donations of breakfast items, meats, drinks, paper products, can goods, and all other food items.
8.0000 Compassion Food Pantry
(434) 515-1413
1737 Wards Ferry Road, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0is open every Wednesday from 9-12 PM and can be visited once a month with a
scheduled appointment time, has done Christmas food boxes to hungry families, provides food assistance to
new moms, those recovering from illnesses/surgeries, and those going through crisis.
9.0000 Agape Center Lynchburg
(434) 846-2783
3026 Carroll Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:00open Tuesdays, Fridays, and every third Saturday from 10 am- 2 pm, Christ-
centered mentorship, community food pantry that help clients shop for food with volunteers, and clients go
clothe and hygiene shopping with volunteer to help them get clothes and hygiene products for them and their
families.
10.0 Lighthouse Community Center
(434) 847-5050
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 4
1310 Church Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0provides carry-out, hot meals with groceries every Monday-Friday from 12:30
pm- 2 pm. Additionally provides on-site access to clothing and vouchers for clothing everyday Monda-Friday
10 am- 2 pm along with immediate access to hygiene supplies and backpacks. Tuesdays from 10 am- 2 pm
there is provided on-site bike ministry for people that need help with transportation.
11.0 Lynchburg Daily Bread
(434) 845-5703
721 Clay Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0open every day of the year 10:15 am- 12:20 pm, on Tuesdays offer fresh
produce from farmers market, donate food at pantry box, offer meal takeaways at 16 locations in Lynchburg
area, and daily hot free lunches for friends and families.
12.0 Meals on Wheels of Greater Lynchburg
(434) 847-0796
P O Box 1388, Lynchburg, VA 24505
Summary of services:0five days a week lunch is delivered by volunteers to neighbors who struggle
with being able to get food and the cost of the meal is $5.45 per day but a sliding scale is used and over 80% of
people pay nothing for their food. Cold supper meals are delivered with lunch for those who are medically
indicated along with receiving Saturday meals. Nutritional supplements are given to people who meet specific
criteria with a physicians prescription. Additionally pet food is donated so that people can have food for their
pets if they are struggling to feed their pets.
13.0 Park View United Methodist Church0
(434) 845-8468
2420 Memorial Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides school lunches for kids of struggling families, groceries to families on
a bi-weekly basis for no cost along with hygiene products, life skills classes, clothing, resources that help
locate childcare or employment, accessing healthcare or transportation, or finding housing.
14.0 Saint Thomas More Food Pantry
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 5
(434) 237-8851
3015 Roundelay Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides non-perishable USDA food and is available to all and is open
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9am-12pm.
Hotlines
15.0 Crisis Line of Central Virginia
(434) 947-4357
1900 Tate Springs Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides services for people in Virginia with mental health, intellectual
disabilities, substance-use disorder needs, and suicide crisis.
16.0 Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance
1-800-838-8238
Summary of services:0Talk to or text an advocate that specializes with domestic violence and assault.
LGBTQ and partner abuse and assault helplines are connected.0
17.0 YWCA Central Virginia0
(888) 528-1041
https://ywcacva.org/domestic-violence-prevention
Summary of services:0provides domestic violence prevention, sexual assault response, residential
housing, youth programs, children’s supervised visitation, and gowns for bridal, wedding, or prom occasions
all under $900.
18.0 National Suicide Lifeline
01-800-273-8255
Summary of services:0assists people in immediate crisis dealing with suicidal issues.
Housing Assistance
19.0 Central Virginia Alliance for Community Living Inc.
(434) 385-9070
501 12th0Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 6
Summary of services: provides a weatherization assistance program to reduce energy and financial
saving for homeowners and tenants, home accessibility and repair funds for low income families, and
residential home repairs such as electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling, toilet installations, grab bars, ramps, and
water heating systems. Health and wellness programs, nutrition, transportation, advocacy and resources, and
care services for aging parents are all provided.
20.0 Lynchburg Community Action Group
(434) 846-2778
1010 Main Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0provides emergency shelter for the homeless, house counseling, first-time
homebuyer programs, free income tax preparation, re-entry programs for ex-offenders, children and family
services, and employment assistance.
21.0 Lynchburg Covenant Fellowship
(434) 847-9059
412 Madison Street, Lynchburg, VA 24505
Summary of services:0provides affordable housing and resources to a diverse community including
disadvantaged people, families, the elderly, and those with intellectual and physical challenges throughout the
Central Virginia area.
22.0 Rebuilding Together
(434) 942-5311
0926 Commerce Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0helps to rebuild houses that have been struck by natural disasters by making
houses dry, clean, pest-free, safe, contaminant-free, well-ventilated, maintained and thermally controlled.
23.0 The Center of Hope – The Salvation Army
(434) 845-5939
2215 Park Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides an 80-bed facility that provides shelter for men, women, and children,
life skills programs that help people establish themselves and assistance for affordable housing. Food, hygiene
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 7
products, and other necessities are provided to families in the Lynchburg community.
Medical Care
24.0 Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center
(434) 528-4321
3701 Old Forest Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides lab grade, urine pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, options
consultations, abortion information, pregnancy support, parenting classes and education, support for men,
abortion recovery, sexual health education, and referrals.
25.0 Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital
(434) 200-3000
3300 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24503
Summary of Services: provides primary care, brain and spine care, psychiatric and behavioral health
care, cancer care, orthopedic care, and short term treatment for severe injuries or episodes of illness, urgent
medical conditions, or recovery from surgery.
26.0 CVFP Internal Medicine0
(434) 947-3944
2215 Landover Place, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides physical exams, immunizations, disease management, pediatric care,
pregnancy care, wellness counseling, family planning education, vasectomies, and diagnostic services such as
x-rays and ultrasounds.
27.0 Every Woman’s Life Virginia Navigator
(434) 477-5900
307 Alleghany Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides uninsured, low-income women to have access to free cervical cancer
screening services. A woman must be a Virginia resident, be between the ages of 50-64, meet the federal
income guidelines and be uninsured. Women between 18-39 that have breast cancer or cervical cancer
symptoms or diagnostic abnormalities can also be seen.
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 8
28.0 Free Clinic Community Health Center of Central Virginia0
(434) 847-5866
800 5th0Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0free specialty medical services for adults by appointments, referrals to other
providers for free or reduced medical specialties, free basic dental services for adults by appointment,
behavioral health counseling by appointment, and prescriptions and medication assistance.
29.0 Gentiva Health Services
(855) 618-0092
1928 Thomson Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services: provides personal care with independence and helping keep up with daily living
demands, palliative care to help those living with serious illness to manage and improve their quality
of life, and hospice care.
30.0 Johnson Health Center
(434) 947-5967
320 Federal Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0provides primary care for adults and children, behavioral health for adults and
children, dental services for adults and children, affordable prescriptions, full range of obstetric and
gynecological services, and free transportation to and from medical appointments for patients living in
Lynchburg, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, and Amherst.
31.0 Lynchburg Family Dentistry0
(434) 832-7008
22437 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services: provides extensive dental care.0
32.0 MedExpress
(434) 239-0627
21054 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides medical services for illnesses, injuries, vaccinations and shots,
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 9
workers’ comp and injury care, employment physicals and screenings, and drug and alcohol screenings.
33.0 Women’s Health of Central Virginia
(434) 239-7890
114 Nationwide Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides gynecologic, obstetrical, and urinary incontinence care, breast
imaging, diagnostic ultrasound, colposcopy, infertility treatment, endometrial ablation, menopause
management, hysterectomies, family planning, minimally invasive surgeries, and on-site lab services and
mammography.
Mental Health Services
34.0 Cornerstone Counseling Consulting and Care
(434) 582-9491
105 Cornerstone Street, Suite 103, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides group, individual, and couples counseling services
35.0 Hill City Counseling and Consulting, LLC
(434) 258-0591
1610 Graves Mill Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides individual, couples, and family therapy, children therapy, relationship
education, EMDR intensives, and marriage intensives.
36.0 Hope for Tomorrow0
(434) 239-4949
1621 Enterprise Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides family counseling, children counseling, and individual counseling
services and no one is turned away due to not being able to pay.
37.0 Horizon Behavioral Health0
(434) 948-4831
2215 Langhorne Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides adult and child medication management, case management, crisis
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 10
stabilization for children, emergency services, financial interviews, group sessions, open access or same day
assessments, outpatient therapy, and school based services.
38.0 Kairos Counseling0
(434) 319-5528
20276 Timberlake Road, Suite A, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides in person and online counseling services and low-cost options.
39.0 Guardian Counseling Center
(434) 420-1930
117A Tradewind Dr., Suite 115A, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services: provides individual and online counseling services to people 18 and older.
Clinical supervision counseling services are provided in Lynchburg for residents in counseling who are
working towards LPC licensure
40.0 Living Water Counseling Center, Inc
(434) 473-7458
115 Hexham Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides trust based relational therapy, play therapy, and family therapy.
41.0 National Counseling Group
(434) 382-1642
1660 Graves Mill Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides in-home child and family counseling, Therapeutic Day Treatment for
students, life skills, outpatient services for families, children, and adults. Parent partnership services to help
parents reinforce healthy parenting practices with children, evidence-based practices for family and parent-
child relations, and adult support services to help with mental, behavioral and/or substance abuse issues.
42.0 Thomas Road Baptist Church
(434) 239-9281
124A Liberty Mountain Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides free counseling services to children as young as 5 to adults through
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 11
individual, couple, family, and pre-marital counseling in the state of Virginia.
43.0 Thriveworks Counseling and Child Therapy Lynchburg0
(434) 771-0495
1000 Jefferson Street, Suite 1B, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Summary of services:0provides individual therapy, psychiatry/medication management, online
therapy, child therapy, family therapy, couples therapy, and marriage counseling.
44.0 Well Spring Counseling0
(434) 239-4943
1737 Wards Ferry Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides Christian counseling services for depression, anxiety, grief/loss,
addictions, parenting, marriage and family life, marital conflict, adolescent adjustment, behavioral problems,
life transitions, spiritual renewal, career issues, divorce recovery, relationship struggles, blended families,
codependency, and decreasing unhealthy habits.
45.0 Wyndhurst Counseling
(434) 237-2655
371 Oakdale Circle, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides marriage, sexual addiction, substance abuse, depression, anxiety,
premarital, and online counseling. Marriage intensives, individual intensives, child therapy, EMDR therapy,
men’s recovery from substance use, Christian counseling, life coaching, and women’s recovery from substance
use.
Substance Abuse Treatment&
46.0 Groups Recover Together
(540) 202-2554
4847 Fort Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24502
Summary of services:0provides counseling for drug addiction, opioid addiction, and provides a
Suboxone/Buprenorphine clinic.
47.0 BrightView Lynchburg Addiction Treatment Center
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 12
(866) 934-7450
3704 Old Forest Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides medication assisted treatment to help ease off cravings of substances,
individual counseling for healing and recovery from substance use, group counseling for substance use, social
community to help with substance abuse, and case management to help minimize barriers to help people focus
on their recovery from substance abuse.
48.0 Lynchburg Comprehensive Treatment Center
(833) 820-1444
4000 Murray Place, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides outpatient treatment for people age 18 and older who struggle with
opioid use disorder.
49.0 Roads to Recovery0
(434) 455-0053
3000 Langhorne Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services:0provides individual recovery, build life skills, assistance to find a job, and help
to quit smoking. It also provides home repairs, teaches construction skills, landscaping skills, housing/shelter,
and recovery from substance use disorders.
50.0 Unlimited Potential (UP) Foundation0
(434) 381-0258
2420 Memorial Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501
Summary of services: provides recovery support services for substance abuse disorders, individual,
group, and youth counseling, mentoring programs for youth, after-school enrichment programs, recreational
activities to help youth abstain from substance use, and summer camp activities that help teach coping
strategies and deter youth from substance use.
Part 2: Disaster Plan
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 13
Disasters are distressing events that no one has control over and they can impact people
in many different ways and they can be unpredictable. It is imperative that there are trained
professionals and agencies that can help in these trying and uncertain times. Counselors hold
responsibility in such times of tragedy and can be viewed as being a valuable resource to their
community. Moving forward, strategies that those who are in the mental health field use to
address disasters will be discussed and these include: response strategies, team strategies and
interventions, interfacing agencies, crisis debriefing, and strategies to get people back to a pre-
crisis state.
Disaster Mental Health Response Strategies
When a time of crisis is occurring, it is of the utmost importance to assess the situation
and make sure that the appropriate intervention is being put in place by a professional (Young et
al., 1998). The professional has to account for the location of where the event happened, the hour
in which the event occurred, if there are survivors, where the survivors location is, the age of the
survivors, and what is their relationship to the event (Young et al., 1998). Once the information
is acquired, then professionals can move in to lend assistance to any and all that are in need.
Ways that mental health professional can help in times of disaster are to lend connections,
provide support, and collaborate with other interventional professionals to communicate
information regarding the event to families (Young et al., 1998).
Mental Health Team Strategies and Interventions
Mental health professionals must be team players and they are viewed as secondary
responders that will help not only survivors but other helping professionals (police officers,
firefighter, National Guard) to provide relief from the disaster (Young et al., 1998). It is crucial
that mental health professionals reach out to other mental health professionals at different
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 14
agencies at various locations to make them aware and so that they can lend a hand in helping. It
is important that when various mental health professionals from various agencies show up to
help, that they talk with those that are taking lead so that they can be brought up to speed on
what is currently going on. Mental health professionals need to communicate their individual
capacities in contributing and providing help (assisting survivors, assessing the disaster site, and
attending to those who are connected to the victims, etc.) (Young et al., 1998).
Strategies for Interfacing Agencies
There are clearly other teams and agencies involved in disaster events and it is
understood that mental health professionals are not the only people involved in trying to help in
such a time. There are many different administrative and clinical organizations that will lend
their time, resources, and efforts to help and leave a positive impact on those going through
difficult times. Many times, it is not uncharacteristic to see clinical workers providing education
to victims and their families and giving them instructions on making referrals to specialized
health facilities. Interfacing agencies help direct and guide the efforts of clinicians and mental
health professionals by dispersing assessments at differing locations that will aid those who are
trying to help the victims.
In the event that if Lynchburg got hit with a disaster, the Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) would use mental health professionals
and clinicians and have them provide different services at various locations (counseling sites,
food pantries, housing assistance agencies, medical centers, etc.) to aid victims. Services for
medical care could be received at the Johnson Health Center and services for counseling could
take place at Hope for Tomorrow for Lynchburg victims of disaster. These are just two resources
that could be utilized for Lynchburg victims and these various agencies would need to
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 15
communicate between each other and have intervention specialists formulate goals of
connection, protection, and support for Lynchburg by using these different agencies.
Strategies for Debriefing
Disasters and crisis events eventually come to an end but this does not mean that the job
of mental health professionals is over. Victims are impacted by the event and situations that
occurred and need to experience initial and follow-up debriefs after the termination of the
disaster. These debriefs are created to try to assist victims in being able to cognitively and
emotionally make sense and help protect them from any additional psychological damage
(Young et al., 1998). In Lynchburg, the DBHDS could reach out to Wyndhurst Counseling and
ask them to set up sites where they could provide EMDR therapy for victims that are meeting
criteria for PTSD. The DBHDS could additionally contact Horizon Behavioral Health to set up
locations for psychoeducational group counseling sessions about the effects of trauma and
grounding techniques and other coping strategies. The last step of debriefing could be that
victims write out their story and personal experience of the event and voice any concerns of
unresolved difficulties and a follow-up debriefing could take place to help the victims.
Assisting People to Return to Pre-Crisis State
It is a critical goal to get survivors back to their healthy, every day life functioning and
the follow-up debriefing is implemented to assist survivors in getting back to their normal
functioning. In depth education could be given to survivors but additionally resources that
educate on calming strategies, assessments that quantify substance abuse and PTSD symptoms
and criteria. One such assessment that could be used to assess PTSD is The Personal Experience
Disaster Survey (Young et al., 1998). There are many other therapies that are effective for people
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 16
who have gone through trauma such as Emotion-Focused Therapy, Family Therapy, and
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to name a few (Young et al., 1998).
Part 3: Treatment Plan
PRIMARY PROBLEM: STAYING HEALTHY IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS
BEHAVIORAL DEFINITIONS:
Taking care of myself and meeting my needs the best that I can in time of crisis. Making
sure that I meet my spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, and social needs so that I can be more
effective and healthy to help those around me.
1. Spiritual health
2. Emotional health
3. Mental health
4. Physical health
5. Social health
LONG-TERM GOAL
Maintain health spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially as I face crisis
and help those around me to meet their needs.
OBJECTIVES
1. Work on spiritual health. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
INTERVENTIONS
1. Pray and read God’s Word in the
morning and at night for 15 minutes.
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 17
2. Work on emotional health. (6, 7, 8)
3. Work on mental health. (9, 10, 11)
2. Sing praises to God through my day
either out loud or even in my mind.
3. Write down every night situations that
God has brought me through in the
past and thank Him for pulling me
through and believing He will get me
through this current situation.
4. Every morning pick a verse out as I
am reading and meditate on it
throughout the day.
5. Take 20 minutes in the evening to be
still and silent (no praying or reading
anything) and try to hear anything that
God wants to speak to me.
6. Create a gratitude journal that I write
in for 10 minutes every day.
7. Practice 4-7-8 deep breathing when as
soon as I wake up, once in the
afternoon, and once at night everyday
for 5 minutes.
8. Do progressive muscle relaxation right
before I go to bed.
9. Do a crossword puzzle 15 minutes a
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 18
4. Work on physical health. (12, 13, 14)
5. Work on social health. (15, 16, 17)
day.
10. Color a coloring book for 15 minutes a
day.
11. Read a fiction book for 15 minutes
every other day.
12. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
13. Eat 3 meals a day.
14. Do 150 push-ups,150 sit-ups, and 150
squats a day.
15. Call a family member once every day
for 15 minutes.
16. Check in with crisis workers and see
how they are doing daily.
17. As I eat my meals at the food pantry,
talk with those around me.
COMMUNITY DISASTER PLAN 20
References
Jongsma, A. E., Bruce, T. J., Peterson, L. M., & Bruce, T. J. (2014). The complete adult
psychotherapy treatment planner (5th ed.) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Young, B., Ford, J., Ruzek, J., Friedman, M., & Gusman, F. (1998). Disaster mental health
services: A guidebook for clinicians and administrators. Retrieved December 3, 2023,
from https://learn.liberty.edu/
