scholarly journals National telemental health responses to a major bushfire disaster

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 226-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lennart Reifels ◽  
Bridget Bassilios ◽  
Jane Pirkis
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Telemental Health ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Service Demand ◽  
Counselling Services ◽  
Related Service ◽  
Health Services Need ◽  
Crisis Support ◽  
The Impact

In response to the Victorian bushfire disaster in 2009, various telemental health services were provided by three national agencies: Kids Helpline (BoysTown), MensLine Australia (Crisis Support Services) and Lifeline Australia. All provider agencies used their existing national service structures and staff resources, which were expanded to respond to bushfire-related service demand. We examined service provider reports and conducted key informant interviews. Despite a lack of quantitative data on consumer outcomes and perspectives, it appears that all three telemental health services experienced significant increases in overall service uptake levels in the wake of the bushfires. Uptake of specialized telephone-, web-, email- and crisis counselling services was substantial, although that of callback services was very limited. Potential clients encountered specific barriers in relation to service access and the callback model. The bushfire experience highlighted the impact of transitory living circumstances and the increased complexity of post-disaster calls on service provision. Telemental health services need to be integrated into mainstream services and disaster response structures.

Promoting Integrated Mental Health Care Services in Disaster Response Programs: Lessons Learned After the Impact of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138
Author(s):  
Julio C. Jiménez Chávez ◽  
Esteban Viruet Sánchez ◽  
Fernando J. Rosario Maldonado ◽  
Axel J. Ramos Lucca ◽  
Barbara Barros Cartagena
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTMeteorological and even human-made disasters are increasing every year in frequency and magnitude. The passage of a disaster affects a society without distinction, but groups with social vulnerability (low socioeconomic status, chronic medical, or psychological conditions, limited access to resources) face the most significant impact. As a result, psychological and behavioral symptoms (eg, depression and anxiety) can ensue, making the immediate response of mental health services crucial. Secondary data from a database of a temporary healthcare unit were analyzed. A total of 54 records were reviewed to collect information; univariate and bivariate analyses were done. The purpose of this article is to present our experience regarding the incorporation of a mental health services model, with its respective benefits and challenges, into a temporary healthcare unit, after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

scholarly journals Strategies to Increase Peer Support Specialists’ Capacity to Use Digital Technology in the Era of COVID-19: Pre-Post Study

10.2196/20429 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. e20429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L Fortuna ◽  
Amanda L Myers ◽  
Danielle Walsh ◽  
Robert Walker ◽  
George Mois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Simulation Training ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Telemental Health ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
The Impact

Background Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), telemental health to support mental health services was primarily designed for individuals with professional clinical degrees, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, registered nurses, and licensed clinical social workers. For the first the time in history, peer support specialists are offering Medicaid-reimbursable telemental health services during the COVID-19 crisis; however, little effort has been made to train peer support specialists on telehealth practice and delivery. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the impact of the Digital Peer Support Certification on peer support specialists’ capacity to use digital peer support technology. Methods The Digital Peer Support Certification was co-produced with peer support specialists and included an education and simulation training session, synchronous and asynchronous support services, and audit and feedback. Participants included 9 certified peer support specialists between the ages of 25 and 54 years (mean 39 years) who were employed as peer support specialists for 1 to 11 years (mean 4.25 years) and had access to a work-funded smartphone device and data plan. A pre-post design was implemented to examine the impact of the Digital Peer Support Certification on peer support specialists’ capacity to use technology over a 3-month timeframe. Data were collected at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. Results Overall, an upward trend in peer support specialists’ capacity to offer digital peer support occurred during the 3-month certification period. Conclusions The Digital Peer Support Certification shows promising evidence of increasing the capacity of peer support specialists to use specific digital peer support technology features. Our findings also highlighted that this capacity was less likely to increase with training alone and that a combinational knowledge translation approach that includes both training and management will be more successful.

Telemental Health Services for Indigenous Communities in Australia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisira Edirippulige ◽  
Matthew Bambling ◽  
Pablo Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Indigenous Population ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Telemental Health ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Health Indices ◽  
The Impact

Telemental health has been recognized as one of the key methods to closing disparities in health indices in the indigenous Australian populations. The conditions in which Australia’s indigenous communities are presently living have also been equated with parts of the world with limited resources. There is a rationale for exploring opportunities for using telemental health and study its effectiveness in this population This chapter discusses the high burden of mental health disorder among the indigenous population, the telemental health initiative to provide mental health services for these isolated communities, and the impact of these initiative on the wellbeing of the recipients. Chapter concludes with barriers to provide these services and potential solutions in the Australian context.

scholarly journals Universal access to ambulance does not increase overall demand for ambulance services in Queensland, Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivienne C. Tippett ◽  
Ghasem (Sam) Toloo ◽  
David Eeles ◽  
Joseph Y. S. Ting ◽  
Peter J. Aitken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Ambulance Service ◽  
Funding Policy ◽  
Service Demand ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Emergency Health Services

Objective. To determine the impact of the introduction of universal access to ambulance services via the implementation of the Community Ambulance Cover (CAC) program in Queensland in 2003–04. Method. The study involved a 10-year (2000–01 to 2009–10) retrospective analysis of routinely collected data reported by the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and by the Council of Ambulance Authorities. The data were analysed for the impact of policy changes that resulted in universal access to ambulance services in Queensland. Results. QAS is a statewide, publically funded ambulance service. In Queensland, ambulance utilisation rate (AUR) per 1000 persons grew by 41% over the decade or 3.9% per annum (10-year mean = 149.8, 95% CI: 137.3–162.3). The AUR mean after CAC was significantly higher for urgent incidents than for non-urgent ones. However projection modelling demonstrates that URs after the introduction of CAC were significantly lower than the projected utilisation for the same period. Conclusions. The introduction of universal access under the Community Ambulance Cover program in Queensland has not had any significant independent long-term impact on demand overall. There has been a reduction in the long-term growth rate, which may have been contributed to by an ‘appropriate use’ public awareness program. What is known about the topic? It is generally well accepted that the demand for emergency health services is increasing however the drivers for demand are poorly understood. In Queensland in particular, growth in demand for services exceeds that seen in other states and territories. Some commentators have pointed at service funding policy and costs to end users as potential reasons for excess demand for services. What does this paper add? The assumption that forced subsidisation creates a perception of entitlement amongst consumers is challenged in this paper. We are able to demonstrate that demand for emergency health services did not increase beyond what would have been expected under a mandatory subscription system known as Community Ambulance Cover (CAC). This paper contributes to the developing body of knowledge about drivers for emergency health service demand. What are the implications for practitioners? There is a need to continue analysis of the system to determine drivers for demand and develop an evidence base on which to formulate emergency health policy, including funding models, for the future. Purely economic drivers for service demand seem unlikely to hold up and policy makers need to understand the complex relationships between service systems; end user perceptions and health literacy; and the costs of services in order to effect policy reform.

scholarly journals Strategies to Increase Peer Support Specialists’ Capacity to Use Digital Technology in the Era of COVID-19: Pre-Post Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L Fortuna ◽  
Amanda L Myers ◽  
Danielle Walsh ◽  
Robert Walker ◽  
George Mois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Simulation Training ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Telemental Health ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), telemental health to support mental health services was primarily designed for individuals with professional clinical degrees, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, registered nurses, and licensed clinical social workers. For the first the time in history, peer support specialists are offering Medicaid-reimbursable telemental health services during the COVID-19 crisis; however, little effort has been made to train peer support specialists on telehealth practice and delivery. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the impact of the Digital Peer Support Certification on peer support specialists’ capacity to use digital peer support technology. METHODS The Digital Peer Support Certification was co-produced with peer support specialists and included an education and simulation training session, synchronous and asynchronous support services, and audit and feedback. Participants included 9 certified peer support specialists between the ages of 25 and 54 years (mean 39 years) who were employed as peer support specialists for 1 to 11 years (mean 4.25 years) and had access to a work-funded smartphone device and data plan. A pre-post design was implemented to examine the impact of the Digital Peer Support Certification on peer support specialists’ capacity to use technology over a 3-month timeframe. Data were collected at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. RESULTS Overall, an upward trend in peer support specialists’ capacity to offer digital peer support occurred during the 3-month certification period. CONCLUSIONS The Digital Peer Support Certification shows promising evidence of increasing the capacity of peer support specialists to use specific digital peer support technology features. Our findings also highlighted that this capacity was less likely to increase with training alone and that a combinational knowledge translation approach that includes both training and management will be more successful.

Quantifying Disaster Impacts on Local Public Health Agency’s Leadership, Staffing, and Provision of Essential Public Health Services

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Clay ◽  
Kahler W. Stone ◽  
Jennifer A. Horney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Essential Public Health Services ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the impact that natural disaster response has on local health departments’ (LHD) ability to continue to provide essential public health services. Methods: A web-based survey was sent to all North Carolina Local Health Directors. The survey asked respondents to report on LHD functioning following Hurricanes Florence (2018) and Dorian (2019). Results: After Hurricane Florence, the positions who most frequently had regular duties postponed or interrupted were leadership (15 of 48; 31.3%), and professional staff (e.g., nursing and epidemiology: 11 of 48; 22.9%). Staffing shelters for all phases – from disaster response through long-term recovery – was identified as a burden by LHDs, particularly for nursing staff. Approximately 66.6% of LHD jurisdictions opened an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or activated Incident Command System in response to both hurricanes. If an EOC was activated, the LHD was statistically, significantly more likely to report that normal duties had been interrupted across every domain assessed. Conclusions: The ability of LHDs to perform regular activities and provide essential public health services is impacted by their obligations to support disaster response. Better metrics are needed to measure the impacts to estimate indirect public health impacts of disasters.

scholarly journals ADHD and Covid-19: current roadblocks and future opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Health Services Need ◽  
The Impact

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the commonest disorder presenting to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Ireland. This article considers the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the provision of mental health services for young people with ADHD with specific reference to the difficulties that have been experienced in ADMiRE, a specialist ADHD service in Dublin, since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Ireland. Current guidelines and alternative ways of ensuring adequate service provision are discussed. Restrictions to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 are likely to continue for many months, and child and adolescent mental health services need to find new ways to provide a sustainable service to young people in Ireland. There is a growing evidence base for the use of telepsychiatry in the assessment and management of ADHD. Factors that should be considered when developing a telepsychiatry service for children and adolescents with ADHD are highlighted.

The impact of hearing loss

ORL ro ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-65
Author(s):  
Mădălina Georgescu ◽  
Violeta Necula ◽  
Sebastian Cozma
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health Politics ◽  
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽  
Newborn Hearing ◽  
Impaired Person ◽  
The Impact

Hearing loss represents a frequently met sensorial handicap, which has a major and complex impact not only on the hearing-impaired person, but also on his family and society. The large number of hard-of-hearing persons justifies the acknowledgement of hearing loss as a public health issue, which oblige to appropriate health politics, to offer each hearing-impaired person health services like those in Europe. These can be obtained through: appropriate legislation for mandatory universal newborn hearing screening; national program for follow-up of hearing-impaired children up to school age; national register of hard-of-hearing persons; smooth access to rehabilitation methods; appropriate number of audiologists, trained for health services at European standards, trained through public programs of education in the field of audiology.  

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