Occupation in Societal Crises Task Force
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In the wake of September 11th, Jane Davis Rourk, the Foundation’s President,
called together a group of occupational therapy practitioners from across the United
States and Canada to form the Task Force on Occupation in Societal Crises. Participants Carolyn Baum, Janice Burke, Charles Christiansen, Georgianna Herzberg, Mary Ann McColl, Marjorie Scaffa, and Diana Ramsay joined Foundation staff members Martha Kirkland, Nedra Gillette, and Mary Binderman in the Task Force. Its goal is to link the occupational therapy philosophy with societal networks that help people manage stress and create a healthy balance through meaningful occupation.

Among the tangible products of the Task Force are the "Resource Notes" and an article by Mary Ann McColl, Occupation in Stressful Times, published in the May/June 2002 issue of The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, vol. 56, no. 3, pages 350-353. You may read an executive summary of the McColl paper here. Currently, two additional consumer-oriented papers written by Marjorie Scaffa and Charles Christiansen will offer perspectives on the unique role of occupation in maintaining health and well-being and may be downloaded for your use as an educational resource. Additional consumer-oriented papers will be written for popular publications and possibly for radio or television and will reinforce how occupation influences the health and well-being of society.