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Kids have struggled with remote learning and isolation. Parents have been forced to balance child care and work-from-home responsibilities. Most people delayed routine medical screenings at some point during the past 15 months or were forced to put off serious treatments and almost everyone is dealing with stress and anxiety from the pandemic.
The toll COVID-19 has taken on behavioral health in New Jersey and nationwide is well documented. Now, some in New Jersey say it’s time for a new model in health care, one with additional mental health and substance-use support, all integrated in a single location that also provides primary care or other medical services.
As the coronavirus pandemic lingers, surveys and medical data continue to confirm the presence of another epidemic mental health challenges.
The trauma persists into 2021, and folks continue to reach out for help. Experts hope that a good number of individuals triggered by the COVID-19 crisis will be able to get back on solid mental ground in a reasonable amount of time after it subsides. The burden of COVID-19 in New Jersey cannot be measured solely by confirmed cases and lives lost, said Cathy Bennett, president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association. It s important that we also understand the invisible toll of COVID the mental health impacts brought on by fear, loss, isolation and, for many families and frontliners, the emotional trauma of this pandemic year.