Guest opinion: Finding ways during the COVID-19 pandemic to address mental health
Maria Torres was worried about her 92-year-old patient isolated at home. But it wasn’t just the patient’s physical condition that concerned Torres; it was her mental well-being.
Torres is a Saltzer Health behavioral health consultant and licensed clinical social worker based in Meridian. She says aging adults are among the populations most hurt by the pandemic. Many of her older patients have chronic health conditions, don’t want to leave their homes and have depleted their social supports, increasing their need for mental health services.
Technology has been an unexpected bright spot for health care providers like Maria and her patients. Using telehealth, Torres has been able to stay in touch with her elderly patients while minimizing risk of exposure to the virus.
A study recently released by the CDC found the proportion of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression in Idaho (42%), Nevada (47%), and Utah (36%) is significantly higher than in prior years. With anxiety and depression spiking in our communities during the pandemic, Intermountain Healthcare and Saltzer Health are demonstrating the many ways we can serve our patients better and more affordably.
Harness technology. A survey conducted by The Harris Poll says 42% of Americans have used telehealth during the pandemic. Of those, 65% like the convenience. And, it’s generally less expensive.
Intermountain Healthcare’s telehealth services hosted 7,000 virtual visits with patients in March 2020, and that number jumped to 63,000 in April. In Idaho, Saltzer Health telemedicine visits increased 623% in the same timeframe.
Provide integrated services. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in the United States 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youth age 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. We know that the pandemic is exacerbating the problem.
Saltzer Health and Intermountain Healthcare have formally integrated mental health services into primary care clinics, so medical and mental health professionals collaborate to meet a patient’s physical and mental health needs during each patient visit. It’s easy to access mental health providers in the clinics.
To supplement the work of our local behavioral health team during the pandemic, Intermountain Healthcare offers a free Emotional Health Relief Hotline. Staffed by clinical experts, the hotline is open 7 days a week, from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. at (833) 442-2211
Partner up. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated mental health issues demands all hands on deck across our communities. New and nontraditional collaborations formed during the pandemic are helping providers deliver the kind of help people need, when and where they need it.
Saltzer Health has worked together with faith-based groups, United Way of Treasure Valley, Canyon County Juvenile Probation, and other organizations to provide needed education, services and supplies. Imagine what more can be accomplished together for mental health here in Idaho when we work collaboratively and put differences aside.
Get creative. At Saltzer Health, the behavioral health team is identifying out-of-the-box solutions to combat social isolation. They have put their patients in touch with interactive movie-making platforms, online fitness programs through the Treasure Valley YMCA, and virtual art classes. They helped a visually impaired patient sign up for a library card and download audio books.
Saltzer clinician Torres is treating depression and mood disorders by encouraging her patients to communicate with homebound residents of The Good Samaritan Home in Boise. Her patients write letters and send photos while helping to brighten the lives of others.
COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for health care providers, emphasizing the need to change what we’re doing and do it better. Working together and being resourceful, we can leverage technology and clinical expertise to improve the behavioral health of our community.
I love what the poet Theodore Roethke said: “In a dark time, the eye begins to see.”