COVID-19 and its Impact on Behavioral Health Access

Raising Families Up.

Matila Sackor-Jones, MS, Assistant Director-Community Engagement Services

          Practitioners working with human service populations may already be aware of the barriers to securing behavioral health services for their clients. Unfortunately, access to these much needed services has been significantly restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to challenges with maintaining service continuity, the coronavirus pandemic has required many behavioral health providers to limit the number of new patients admitted into in-patient care. While some providers have limited the number of admitted patients, other behavioral health service organizations have adjusted to the new service climate by modifying staff patterns and/or offering tele-health services to communities in need.

          Professionals well versed in the science around adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, know that decreased access to behavioral and other mental health supports can be detrimental to long term community health. In fact, recognizing the potential implications of COVID-related social ills on the nation’s long-term health, organizations like the National Council for State Legislators (NCSL) are working to track, monitor, and advocate for legislative approaches to addressing COVID-related gaps in behavioral health service delivery systems across the country. In the legisbrief “Sustaining Behavioral Health Services Through the Pandemic,” Karmen Hanson describes several legislative efforts to increase access to behavioral health programming during the pandemic, both on a national as well as on a state level. To read more about these efforts, visit NCSL’s website at https://www.ncsl.org/research/...gh-the-pandemic.aspx.

          Legislative efforts to increase behavioral health access  would be fruitless without the support of community organizations who stand ready to serve. As Maryland’s leader in preventing child abuse, The Family Tree is in the community providing evidence-based, trauma informed services to families who need it the most. From community resource referrals to programs that strengthen emotional regulation skills, The Family Tree offers a wide range of services designed to connect community members to the supports they need to raise strong families. For more information about the services we provide, please visit our website at www.familytreemd.org.

References

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss,    M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8.

Hanson, K. (August 2020). Sustaining behavioral health services through the pandemic. (Issue    Brief 28, Vol 31). National Council for State Legislators. https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/sustaining-behavioral-health-services-through-    the-pandemic.aspx.