analyze the impact of a current problem on individuals, families, and communities

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Comment by Darron D Garner: Good work! You completed most of the required parts of the assignment and you demonstrate a deep understanding of materials as characterized by you preparing an assessment of social service agencies that address the current social problem/issue you developed in Week 1 and Week 6 (mental health). However, always provide data on mental health; discuss the problem through data provide; provide statistics on mental health -1. You also indicated which agencies that might be best equipped to work with individuals/families affected by mental health. You provided examples to support your findings. You used very clear and effective expression appropriate to scholarly writing, grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting.

Covid 19, Mental Health and Social Service Agencies

Gabrielle Lewis

North Central University

3/14/2021

Introduction

Mental health is one of the major societal issues (Eric 2013). Mental health encompasses the psychological, emotional, and psychological well-being of individuals in the society. It is how people think, feel, and behave. Mental health is very important because people’s thinking and how they feel influences their behavior. It is vital that their behavior is influenced by positive feelings and thoughts. Against what many people think, mental health is not only just the absence of mental disorders. Mental health also includes the wellness and happiness of their actions to a society too. Many different emotions of an individual can negatively affect their mental health long-term. Some of these include depression, anxiety, and stress (Timothy 2020). A person who is depressed, anxious, or stressed may be influenced to behave abnormally. These factors negatively affect people’s relationships, work and other normal daily activities. In the worst scenario, these factors can influence a person to commit suicide. Mental health is therefore essential.

Covid 19 is one condition or factor that has negatively affected the mental health and welfare of many individuals today. Covid 19 is a relatively new infectious disease that has turned into a global pandemic. It originally began in late 2019 in China and spread like wildfire across every region in the world (Diana 2021). Many people across the world have died due to the highly communicable disease.

Very significantly, Covid 19 has affected and changed the normal social activities of human beings (Diana 2021). This pandemic has even changed such individuals who never experienced anxiety or depression. For long periods, and in most parts of the world, social gatherings have been banned or reduced. Schools and religious gatherings have been closed while social events such as entertainment events have been shut down in many places. Moreover, economic activities have also been negatively affected. For instance, many people have been sacked from their jobs as a result of the new policies that require social distancing everywhere in order to limit the spread of the virus. Most of the changes in the way people have been living normally have been as a result of new policies by governments to limit or contain the spread of the virus. Governments have introduced measures such as lockdowns to limit the movements of people. In many ways, this has negatively affected the mental health of people. Some of the people who have lost their jobs as a result of the new measures have been stressed and depressed. Many people have lost their loved ones due the disease. Many people, especially those living abroad, have not been able to interact with their families during important periods such as Christmas, due to strict travelling measures imposed by governments across the world. All these examples have negatively affected the mental health of many people. Due to the significance of Covid 19 on mental health, many social service agencies such as AmeriCorps, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, and Illinois Department of Human Services have initiated various efforts to ensure to the mental health and wellbeing of people during the Covid 19 period.

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps is a United States social service agency which is a jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States (Sandra 2019). It is a voluntary social service program which is also supported by other foundations, donors, and various corporations. The goal of the organization is “to help others and meet critical needs in the community”. One of these critical needs is mental health and wellbeing of people. As stated above, Covid 19 has in various ways negatively affected the wellbeing and mental health of people. Containing the spread of the virus is therefore critical to enhancing the mental health of people. AmeriCorps have made various strides and efforts, in cooperation with other government agencies, in the efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Members of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, which is a unit of AmeriCorps, may been and have been asked to assist with Covid 19 related recovery projects. Members of this unit may be asked to provide physical assistance or help by the government directed to any efforts introduced to limit or contain the spread of the virus. Members, who are usually between the ages 18 and 24 are well trained and paid by the government. AmeriCorps members have made various efforts to deal with and limit the spread of the virus. These efforts include assisting in monitoring quarantine and isolation, contact tracing, and test result notification. AmeriCorps seniors have also volunteered in efforts to deal with and limit the spread of the virus. These includes calling any contacts of anyone who has had the virus, provide instructions for isolation and quarantine, and assess the symptoms. All these efforts have in various ways been made to positively impact the mental health and wellbeing of people. Limiting the spread of the virus reduces the number of people affected and therefore the number of people dying as a result of the virus. Therefore, less people will have to emotionally deal with the loss of loved ones. Less people will have mental health issues as a result.

Washington States Department of Social and Health Services

The Department of Health and Social Services is one of the social service agencies that have made efforts to deal with Covid 19 and in so doing tried to improve the mental health and welfare of members of the society (Washington 2021). The organization has its headquarters in Olympia which is the capital of the state. Some of the social welfare activities the organization engages in includes providing monetary assistance, food, comfort and protection, and medical and health care services. The health care services include those related to mental health. The organization provides important statistics regarding mental health that can be accessed in their website. This is after conducting research. They also provide prepare reports and prepare recommendations related to enhancing the mental health and wellbeing of people.

Covid 19 has negatively affected the mental health of people in various ways as discussed above. Limiting the spread of the virus has therefore been essential in reducing the impact of the disease on the same. In a more recent move, the organization, through their website, has provided important information regarding vaccine information. Previously, the organization, through research, had recommended the use of Covid 19 therapeutics. It has encouraged the use of therapeutic antibodies treatments in the various health organizations in the states such as nursing homes, health care systems, and long term care facilities. The organization also provides trace contact tracing. The organization has provided a help line number to members of the state, where a public worker from the organization may be assigned to check on the health of an individual. The organization, through its members, provides necessary emotional support to people who have lost their loved ones to the disease. All these efforts have in certain degrees positively influenced the mental health of people by limiting the spread and dealing with the virus. This also gives individuals who feel alone a chance to be apart of something to help the community.

Illinois Department of Human Services

The Illinois Department of Human Services is a department of the state government of Illinois, which is a state in the United States. It provides social services to the residents of the state. Some of these services include maintaining the social health of family structures through efforts such as containing domestic violence, rehabilitation and community services, emergency preparedness services, providing vital services to residents in poverty, and providing essential services to residents who are challenged with mental health issues (Grace 2021). Through 162 mental health centers in the state, the agency ensures that residents of the state have adequate access mental health services, especially to those diagnosed with mental health problems. These includes providing adequate psychiatric units, hospitals, and civil and forensic beds.

During this period of Covid 19, the organization has made efforts to ensure the provision of adequate emotional and financial support people who have developed mental health issues. For instance, the organization introduced the Pediatric Mental Health Minute Series which “provides real time education pediatricians caring for children and youth with mental health disorders to improve knowledge and skills during a national crisis”. The organization has collaborated with other government and non-governmental agencies in the state to deal with and limit the spread of the virus. Such efforts reduce the spread of the virus and hence reduces the number of people dying. The organization has also collaborated in the delivery of Covid 19 vaccines.

Conclusion

Covid 19, which is a relatively new communicable disease that has become a global pandemic, has negatively affected the mental health and wellbeing of people. People have had to deal with negative emotional feelings as a result losing jobs, death of loved ones, reduced social activities, paranoia, depression, self-worth and other such effects. Social service agencies such as the Illinois Department of Human Services have made positive strides to deal with the virus and limit its spread. In a way, this has also positively impacted the mental health and wellbeing of people.

GRADE A-

Good work! You completed most of the required parts of the assignment and you demonstrate a deep understanding of materials as characterized by you preparing an assessment of social service agencies that address the current social problem/issue you developed in Week 1 and Week 6 (mental health). However, always provide data on mental health; discuss the problem through data provide; provide statistics on mental health -1. You also indicated which agencies that might be best equipped to work with individuals/families affected by mental health. You provided examples to support your findings. You used very clear and effective expression appropriate to scholarly writing, grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting.

References

Diana Primavera, (2021). Help Contain the Spread of Covid 19! Colorado. https://servecolorado.colorado.gov/help-contain-the-spread-of-covid-19

Eric Gass, Maureen P. Bezold, (2013). Generation Y, Shifting Funding Structures, and Health Care Reform: Reconceiving the Public Health Paradigm through Social Work. Social Work in Public Health, 28: 685-693.

Grace Hou, (2021). Covid-19: DMH Resources for Customers. Illinois Department of Human Services. https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=123603

Sandra Park, Emma Roth, (2019). AmeriCorps Adopts Health Screening Process that’s fair to Candidates with Disabilities. ACLU. https://www.aclu.org/blog/disability-rights/americorps-adopts-health-screening-process-thats-fair-candidates-disabilities

Timothy Legg, (2020). What is Mental Health? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154543

Washington Department of Social and Health Services, (2021). Covid 19 and Resources. Washington Department of Social and Health Services. https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/odhh/covid-19-resources