Mental Health Services During COVID-19

In this episode of Michigan Minds, Angela Beck, clinical assistant professor and assistant dean for student engagement and practice at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, discusses her research on the growing demand for mental health care services during and post-COVID-19 and how to best position the workforce to respond to the anticipated spike.

The study Beck is conducting on the health care workforce capacity seeks to learn more about provider supply, and how to flex and surge the workforce to meet the increased demand.

“The public health emergency and the disaster declaration will eventually expire, but the mental health emergency will remain,” says Beck. “Part of the purpose for this study is to try to inform what types of policy measures used to support workforce capacity now should continue to exist when we’re in the stage of pandemic recovery so that we don’t restrict the ability of providers to meet demand.”

She also discusses the strains on frontline health care workers and how important public health measures—like staying at home and using face masks—are to keeping the workforce healthy. 

“Times of emergency like this often expose and exacerbate cracks in the system—health care inequities and strains on capacity. How effectively and innovatively we respond determines how well we control this pandemic and prepare for the next crises,” Beck says. 

Listen to this episode of the Michigan Minds podcast to learn more.

 

Related: Maintaining Mental Well-being During COVID-19

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