Latinx Mental Health in the Mexican Consulate: Addressing Barriers Through Social Good

Objectives: This article examines an innovative mental health program in the largest Mexican consulate in the United States guided by a social good organizing framework and an intersectionality lens. The mental health program, Modulo de Salud Mental, was designed to address barriers to help seeking. Methods: The Modulo used the central characteristics of the social good model, such as innovative collaborations between systems that otherwise do not typically collaborate and burgeoning technologies to overcome barriers for service utilization among this population. We conducted a qualitative study to examine how the Modulo addressed structural and cultural barriers to care. Results: The salient themes from interviews were classified into four categories: current political situation, reasons for seeking services, prior barriers to care addressed by program, and perceived benefits of the program. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the Modulo's services and convenient location in an unconventional setting can serve as a model for promoting social good by facilitating help seeking and alleviating illness burden for this immigrant community.

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Graduate Medical Education on the Frontlines during the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City- A Response to Promote Well-being

Journal of Wellness ◽

10.18297/jwellness/vol3/iss2/9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Medical Education ◽

Graduate Medical Education ◽

Health Program ◽

Mental Health Program ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Personal Factors ◽

Graduate Medical

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has driven many health care institutions in the United States beyond their capacity. Physicians-in-training in graduate medical education programs have suffered the strain of providing patient care during this unprecedented time of crisis. The significant prevalence of pre-existing resident and fellow burnout and depression makes the need for action by institutions to support the well-being of residents and fellows even more urgent. We aim to describe innovative adaptations our Office of Graduate Medical Education implemented with the support of institutional leadership as responses to promote the well-being of residents and fellows on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME), in collaboration with the Office of Well-being and Resilience, developed a set of resources and interventions to support trainees during the pandemic based on four major categories: workplace culture, personal factors and health, mental health support, and workplace efficiency and function. Examination of the capacity of existing services and gaps that needed to be filled in the rapidly evolving early days of the COVID pandemic led to a robust growth in resources. For example, the already established Student and Trainee Mental Health program was able to expand and adapt its role to serve trainee needs more effectively. Results: We expanded resources to target trainee well-being across a broad array of domains within a short time frame. With investment in access to the Student and Trainee Mental Health program, utilization increased by 25.7%, with 1,231 more visits in 2020 compared to the number of visits in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The creation of Recharge Rooms had a positive impact on the well-being of health care workers. After a single fifteen-minute experience in the Recharge Room, an average 59.6% reduction in self-reported stress levels was noted by users. Other interventions were noted to be helpful in regular town hall meetings with trainees. Conclusion: Addressing trainee well-being is an essential aspect of a crisis response. The Mount Sinai Health System was able to care for the physical, mental, psychosocial, and safety needs of our trainees thanks to the collaborative effort of a pre-existing institutional well-being program and the GME Office. The ability to implement such a response was enabled by our well-being foundation, which allowed leadership at the highest institutional level and the Office of GME to provide support in response to this unprecedented crisis.

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Pracitcum report: virtual mental health program

10.24124/2021/59205 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Michelle Bembridge

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Health Program ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Mental Health Program ◽

Small Communities ◽

Delivery Options

People who reside in rural areas are faced with ongoing barriers to accessing mental health services. A number of aspects of rural life such as the rural community, social networks, and limited access to service all have particular implications for people experiencing mental health issues. Additional issues such as the effect of rural culture on help-seeking for mental illness, the lack of anonymity in small communities and the difficulty to maintain confidence, and mental health and addictions stigma may further impact the recognition, treatment, and maintenance of mental health problems for people in rural and remote locations. Providing mental health services to residents in these places requires creative and flexible service delivery options. This practicum report details my experience with the Virtual Mental Health Program at Alberta Health Services and highlights the role that social workers play in delivering mental health services in underserved locations as well as the potentials for further developing these services.

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