The behavioral health community
While a variety of leaders attempt to assess if the latest wave of COVID-19 cases has crested, health care leaders know the truth: The biggest wave related to the pandemic is just starting to show its force.
The impact of COVID-19 on behavioral health ultimately may have as great an impact as any other aspect of the pandemic.
The stress and strain of the pandemic has impacted us all. Thankfully, it has forced society to make great strides in reducing the stigma that comes with acknowledging you have issues with anxiety and depression.
It’s OK to not be OK.
Behavioral health specialists will be at the forefront of these battles going forward. And, make no mistake, they are everywhere. Consider its impact on:
- The workforce: Workers everywhere are reassessing their quality of life and willingness to work in jobs and careers that are not fulfilling. The Great Resignation clearly is an outgrowth of these feelings.
- Our children: For many, the impact of the most difficult year in education is less about learning loss — which was great for so many — and more about the social struggles that came from the isolation.
- Health care personnel: Who is going to help those who literally have put their lives on the line to help those battling COVID-19? Who is going to help those who have seen so many of their patients die, helpless to change the outcome?
A health care sector that was facing burnout issues and challenges long before the pandemic has only seen them multiply in untold ways.
Thankfully, health care and political leaders recognize the issue and are doing all they can to help.
Health care facilities are providing more outlets for those in need. State and nonprofit organizations are dedicating millions in funding to support these operations. Insurers are doing all they can — literally rewriting rules and regulations — to ensure that treating what some call a brain injury is no different than treating a virus or a broken bone.
Healing, however, will not be easy. Or come as quickly.
The behavioral health impact of the pandemic will last for at least a generation. There is no miracle vaccine that can be produced in months. It will be a long, slow process — felt with many ups and downs.
For that reason, the 2021 ROI Influencers: Health Care list has selected all those who work in behavioral health as No. 1 on our annual ranking. And we say thanks for all that you do — and will do in the months and years ahead.
