The Critical Need for a Population Health Approach: Addressing the Nation’s Behavioral Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Abstract

What is known about this topic? Behavioral health needs in the United States are not being met by the current health care system, and the COVID-19 pandemic will likely dramatically increase the need for psychological services. What is added by this report? Adopting a population health approach provides opportunities to target interventions to those populations and communities most in need of psychological health care services, with the potential of preventing development of disorders. What are the implications for public health practice? Implementing and evaluating population health strategies to promote overall well-being requires system change that translates to policy decisions and programs to meet the needs of local communities.

COVID-19, a tale of two pandemics: novel coronavirus and fake news messaging

“…Second, practitioners must urge national, regional and local governments, health care public health leaders and decision makers to integrate and coordinate efforts to avoid missing key opportunities for prevention and early interventions. Lack of coordination limits drastically the levels and quality of care available, as an example, those aimed at solving behavioral health needs ( Evans and Bufka, 2020 ). Third, securing policies that will warrant the timely provision of sufficient and adequate personal protection equipment in to first line responders, including their families and close relatives, during the COVID-19 pandemic (Chungtai et al , 2020).…”

Addressing Emotional Wellness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Promotores in Delivering Integrated Mental Health Care and Social Services

“…Through these services, LHA ensured its mental health response was rooted in addressing the social inequities that created the conditions by which COVID-19 devastated working-class racial and ethnic minority communities and exacerbated mental health stressors ( 12 ). The Emotional Wellness program adopted a population health approach to address behavioral health needs along a continuum, regardless of whether participants had a mental or emotional health condition, providing a range of services ( 6 ). As COVID-19 policies took effect ( Figure 1 ), the Emotional Wellness program was well-positioned to expand to help vulnerable groups meet their immediate mental health and social needs, while continuing to address the structural inequities exacerbated by the pandemic.…”

“…Experts have called for local implementation ( 6 ) of community-level mental health interventions and prevention efforts that integrate financial relief and social services, promote social cohesion, and provide culturally and linguistically tailored education on COVID-19 and mental health ( 2 , 3 ). The American Psychological Association has also called for a “reimagining” of the behavioral health system as one that reaches people where they are, recognizes wisdom in each community to solve its own problems, and looks to innovative roles for new mental health practitioners who are firmly rooted in their communities ( 6 , 7 ). Responding to these calls to action, this study investigated the role of promotores de salud (community health workers) in providing community-led and integrated mental health care and social services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latino communities of Orange County, California.…”

“…Hispanic adults reported higher prevalence of anxiety or depressive disorder, trauma-related and stressor-related disorder, substance use to cope with stress, and suicidal ideation (3). These disparities in mental health effects reflect the grief, bereavement, and stress related to financial insecurity resulting from the pandemic in Latino communities (4), which along with other racial and ethnic minority communities, have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 as a result of structural racism (5).…”

A Call for Person-Centered and City-Centered Student Supports

“…Learning from an extensive history of pandemics in cities, multilevels of government have defined and refined public health measures. During this COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures have included social work-specific activities such as mental health promotion strategies that have been implemented across mulitple systems (Evans & Bufka, 2020). Other public health measures to contain and mitigate pandemics have also included other pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) that require social work collaborations (mental health crisis intervention, quarantines, school closures, banning of mass gatherings, travel restrictions, infection prevention practices such as wearing face masks) (Bell et al, 2009;Bootsma & Ferguson, 2007;Evans & Bufka, 2020;Saunders-Hastings & Krewski, 2016).…”