Letters: Battling on the front lines of behavioral health during COVID-19 crisis

The media continues to laud our hospitals’ physicians and nurses who valiantly put their lives at risk while treating those diagnosed with coronavirus. They most certainly deserve our praise and admiration. But there is another group of healthcare professionals who deserve this same recognition—the physicians, nurses, social workers, psychiatric technicians and other caring workers who are treating the homeless, those who live with mental illness and those who suffer from addiction.

At LSF Health Systems, the managing entity that serves northeast and north central Florida, I have the privilege of leading a not-for-profit social service network of 56 behavioral health provider organizations serving 23 counties—a third of the state. LSF contracts with these organizations to provide behavioral healthcare for Floridians who are indigent, uninsured or underinsured. The services are provided at crisis stabilization units, detox and inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities, mobile response units, homeless shelters, psychiatric hospital units and medication-assisted treatment facilities, just to name a few.

These brave and caring professionals are also on the front lines, providing treatment for those with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, opioid addiction and other behavioral health disorders. COVID-19 has escalated symptoms, increased the rate of relapse as well as incidences of domestic violence, child abuse and suicide. Our providers also face challenges with the dearth of personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, gowns, sanitizers and other supply needs.

With the current increased demand, our provider organizations are using innovative ways to continue to serve, including telehealth. Our network of care is burgeoning and our providers continue to answer the call.

Christine Cauffield
CEO
LSF Health Systems
Jacksonville, Fla.

The article “Reopening could require thousands more public health workers” noted, “As federal officials weigh how and when to reopen the country, experts say the U.S. does not have enough public health workers to suppress another outbreak, especially those qualified to do contact tracing, the critically important effort to find people who may have been exposed to the virus.”

The story overlooks a very pragmatic solution to support tracing: There are tens of thousands of staff and volunteers from community-based organizations on the streets delivering social services support every day. Agencies on aging, centers for independent living and family-services organizations are responding to citizens’ nonclinical needs such as food deliveries, post-hospitalization care-transition support, transportation, in-home assistance, etc. Their ranks include social workers, nutritionists, nurses, and community health workers.

These professionals could easily be incorporated into COVID-19 tracing activities and help support a more integrated approach to clinical care for all high-risk patients.

Sharon R. Williams
Grosse Pointe, Mich.