In the span of eight weeks nearly every American has experienced an abrupt and total shift in both social interaction and health risk.
People are isolated, concerned about loss of job and/or income, and worried about their own health and that of parents and grandparents. Many experts and consultants agree this mental health issue is a ticking time bomb.
An article in the April 2020 New England Journal of Medicine says that in addition to the frontline healthcare workers and first responders, “some groups may be more vulnerable than others to the psychosocial effects of pandemics. In particular, people who contract the disease, those at heightened risk for it (including the elderly, people with compromised immune function, and those living or receiving care in congregate settings), and people with preexisting medical, psychiatric, or substance use problems are at increased risk for adverse psychosocial outcomes.”
The question is: Does the healthcare system have the capacity to handle it? Are Employee Assistance Program vendors (EAP) prepared – both from a skill standpoint and also in terms of scalability?
The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 ensured that plans with more than 50 employees offer robust mental health coverage for outpatient counseling. However, the spike/curve we feared in the hospital/clinical setting from COVID-19 could similarly overtake the mental health system’s capacity in just a matter of weeks.
Here’s how employers can work to meet the demand:
Mental health is often discussed in corporate America, but it isn’t usually a major focal point of a health plan. That needs to change. Never before has there been such widespread pressure put on the workforce with implications to both individual and group mental health.
For more on mental health and COVID-19, read the complete New England Journal of Medicine article here :