In this episode from our podcast "The COVID-19 Pandemic and What it Taught Us: Collective Trauma and Moving Forward", the host Aba Anison-Amoo invites guests from MHP Salud to dive deeper into Long COVID with the primary focus on raising awareness.

MHP Salud's CEO, Dr. Magaly Dante, Ph.D. LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor, spends much of her time providing advocacy and support to families with limited resources. Her primary focus as CEO is to find ways to support and sustain CHWs in the workforce and create spaces for CHWs to expand their reach in the community.

Monica Garcia, MA, MHP Salud's Health Strategy Specialist, is responsible for delivering consultation, training, and technical assistance to service providers, health organizations, and Federally Qualified Health Centers across the nation who wish to strengthen or start the Community Health Worker profession.

Monica Calderon, CHW/CCHWI, serves as a Resource Specialist at MHP Salud. Monica actively supports the professional development of CHWs by facilitating educational sessions and offering valuable training and consultation services to fellow Community Health Workers (CHWs).

And finally, Jennifer Martinez, CHES, is a Program Manager at MHP Salud, who has 13 years of experience in health education and community program management. She currently manages one of the organization’s service areas that implements Marketplace health insurance navigation. She believes and is passionate about everyone having access to health care through proper health insurance coverage.

Resources

The COVID-19 Pandemic and What it Taught Us: Collective Trauma and Moving Forward - Health Outreach Partners

MHP Salud Resources for Community Health Workers and CHW Programs

Developing SSI/SSDI Applications for Individuals with Long COVID

Long Covid Supports & Services

U.S Department of Labor: Supporting Workers with Long COVID

In this final episode, host Liam Spurgeon talks with Katherine Schlaefer, Vice President of Enterprise Occupational Health and Safety (EOHS) with UnitedHealth Group who spent 15 years addressing burnout and exhaustion for health care workers, to discuss supporting our health workforce, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these efforts, and moving forward what recovery and organizational support for health centers can look like.

Resources:

• Joy in Practice: A fact sheet from UnitedHealth Group through the Center for Clinician Advancement Joy in Practice

• Joy Break Podcast Series: A Podcast Series created to offer support to clinicians, and focused on purpose, meaning, uncertainty, renewal, and stress management

LGBTQ communities have historically faced distinct barriers and biases when accessing or receiving healthcare, especially during outbreaks or epidemics. Host Danielle Barnes talks with Perry Rhodes III, a lifelong LGBTQ advocate with expertise on HIV/AIDS and sexual health. Their conversation highlights the experiences of the LGBTQ community throughout the pandemic response, and how the influence of past medical crises (like the HIV/AIDS epidemic) impacted their approach and perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:

• Take Me Home: Offers free, at-home HIV/STD/PrEP testing services. It is fast, free and DISCREET, and available online.

• UCSF Alliance Health Project: Supports mental health services for LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, including online resources. They have a brick-and-mortar site that offers free HIV/STD/HCV testing services.

Racism, violence and discriminatory practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a tremendous toll on the physical and mental health of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Host Cindy Selmi talks with Carrie Zhang and Jennifer Tarm of the Asian Mental Health Project, to discuss the need to destigmatize mental health in the AAPI community, the importance of mental health resources and spaces for the AAPI community, and how mental health resources can be made more accessible for communities of color.

Resources:

• Asian Mental Health Project: Aims to de-stigmatize mental health within AAPI communities and provide resources through educational programming, community events, and partnerships.

• Asians for Mental Health: Provides a directory of AAPI therapists nationwide

• The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use: An issue brief from Kaiser Family Foundation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes.

• Crisis Text Line

• Inclusive Therapists: Offers a safer, simpler way to find a culturally responsive, LGBTQ+ affirming, social justice-oriented therapist.

Keeping children and young people safe at the height of the pandemic meant closing schools, group activities, and sports. These changes often left students, their families, and their teachers disconnected from the support systems provided by schools. Host Aba Anison-Amoo talks with Ali Popovich, an educator, and Lauren Purcell, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, focused on youth and caregivers, to reflect on the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health and wellbeing of youth, families and teachers.

Resources:

• Mental Health America: A national resource center of mental health resources

• Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH): CDC's resources on youth mental health

• Digital Shareables on Child and Adolescent Health: Institute of Mental Health's resources to raise awareness about child and adolescent health.

• The Youth Mental Health Project - Resources for parents and caregivers so they can support their children's mental health.

• EMDR International Association : A nonprofit membership association of mental health professionals dedicated to EMDR. Provides information on and how EMDR can be effective resource to help people address trauma. Provides an EMDR Therapist directory.

• Mindfulness Apps for Teens: For teaching teens coping skills, and to help support mental health issues through mindfulness practice & support.

  • Three Good Things

  • Headspace

  • Calm

  • Insight TImer

  • BreathingApp

Outreach is critical for the provision of quality healthcare for so many vulnerable communities, especially farmworkers and their families. Host Margaret Anderson talks with Mary Jo Ybarra, a licensed behavioral health specialist and outreach expert specializing in farmworker health at Quincy Community Health Center, as they discuss the pivotal role that outreach played in getting life-saving information and services to farmworkers, the impacts of the pandemic on outreach, and how outreach can support recovery efforts.

Resources:

• Video: Voices from the Fields: Farmworker Communities Confronting COVID-19

• Healthy People 2030: Data-driven national objectives to improve health and well-being over the next decade.

• Community Health Workers and Outreach Supporting Organizations:

  • MHP Salud

  • Health Outreach Partners (HOP)

  • Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN)

  • Farmworker Justice

  • Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH)

  • Vision y Compromiso

• Conferences:

  • Western Forum for Migrant and Community Health (WFMCH)

  • Vision y Compromiso Promotora Annual Conference

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Health Centers (CHCs) provided information about prevention and safety guidelines, promoted vaccines, combatted misinformation, and partnered with others to support the needs of patients and communities all while providing care. Host Cindy Selmi talks with two health center leaders, Rhonda Hauff, CEO of Yakima Neighborhood Health Center and David Vliet, CEO of LifeLong Medical, about their experiences supporting their teams during the pandemic, what they learned during the response efforts, and how they are continuing to support their health center's workforce as we look forward.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing health disparaties and the social determinants of health, particularly for special populations and communities of color. Host Aba Anison-Amoo talks with Yvonne Monteverde, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to discuss the intersection of health disparities and COVID-19 for the communities she is serving, and how mental health care was provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:

• LatinxTherapy.com: A directory for those searching for Latinx Therapists

The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on our individual and collective wellbeing. Host Aba Anison-Amoo talks with Katie Nicole, a licensed clinical social worker and Director of Community Health at Planned Parenthood NorCal, to explore the collective trauma of COVID-19, the pandemic's impact on our mental health, and tips to move towards a healthier world for all.

Resources:

• Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. This is the national crisis hotline (Lifeline) for mental health access and crises

• Crisis Hotlines and Resources: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (The American Psychological Association)