COVID-19 contact tracers in Spokane are now screening people for mental health issues
Spokesman-ReviewJan 18, 2021
Jan. 18—Calling to tell someone they have tested positive for COVID-19 is like being a bearer of bad news over and over again.
In recent months, those calls have been met with more strained responses, especially around the holidays, where a positive test result could mean winter holidays alone or even isolated from members of one's immediate household.
That work is done on a daily basis by workers at the
By the end of November, the
"The very means to protect public health (like staying at home and not gathering) exacerbate existing mental health issues, so if I've already been battling anxiety or depression, social isolation will make it worse," she said.
There are 36 contract tracers and supervisors, making up four teams, employed by the
As the third wave of virus cases surged in
Case investigations involve calling a person who tested positive for the virus, while contact tracing is calling the close contacts of a person who tested positive for the virus to alert them to exposure.
Back in the summer, 50 to 60 cases per day was considered busy for the
The surge in cases in
The move to mental health training followed reports of what case investigators were hearing. Lopez said his team members were reporting difficult situations.
"We're asking people to quarantine and to isolate, and their first question is 'What about my job? What will I tell my employer?'" Lopez said.
On a daily basis, contact tracers are encountering people in the midst of stressful times already, with the pandemic affecting employment and financial security, not to mention health.
Some contact tracers reported back that some people they called were depressed or had suicidal ideation.
While contact tracers can connect residents to resources, they weren't necessarily prepared to talk someone through a potential crisis or listen for signs of a person who might benefit from accessing mental health resources, should they want them.
Now, the
Briggance said the institute realized that their team members needed to be trained, as well as offered resources to manage their own stress levels. They learned how to help a person if they've been triggered or needed more resources.
Ultimately, she said more community members with mental health first aid training will improve the health of the community long after the pandemic is over, too.
"Every time I certify people in mental health first aid, I get excited because I know they are going to use these skills," Briggance said, noting the national need for more mental health support.
------
___
(c)2021 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)
Visit The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) at www.spokesman.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.