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Executive Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a global reminder of the importance of caring for patients
and healthcare workers' mental health as they confront this unexpected public health emergency.
The severity of the present epidemic and these experiences suggest that the incidence of mental
health issues will rise. Interventions in the field of mental health are desperately needed to reduce
the psychological effects and give impacted individuals immediate care. In this proposal, I will
discuss the impact COVID-19 had on individuals suffering from mental health disorders and the
solutions we have found to adequately treat these individuals. I will also discuss my
qualifications, the schedule of the conference, and the cost of the 3-day training, as well as
provide some recent research related to the importance of the topic. During the training, your
staff will learn the importance of collaboration and patient trust, intensive mental health support,
as well as enhanced family and caregiver support. By the end of the training, everyone on your
staff will be able to provide comprehensive support. Furthermore, they will have the knowledge
and understanding to provide beneficial, effective, and positive treatment to your mental health
population of patients.
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Table of Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………… 4
Problem………………………………………………………………….. 4-5
Objectives ……………………………………………………………….. 5-6
Solution………………………………………………………………….. 6
Method…………………………………………………………………... 7
Resources………………………………………………………………... 7
Schedule…………………………………………………………………. 7
Qualifications……………………………………………………………. 7
Costs……………………………………………………………………... 7-8
Conclusion……………………………………………………………….. 8
References……………………………………………………………….. 9
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June 23, 2024
Ms. Jocelyn Hightower
Director of Human Resources
Central Dallas Medical Center (CDMC)
14763 Main Street
Dallas, TX 75208
Dear Ms. Hightower,
I am very excited about having the opportunity to work with your facility. According to a
scientific brief released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence
of anxiety and depression surged by a staggering 25% in the first year of the COVID-19
pandemic (World Health Organization, 2022). I am requesting permission to hold a 3-day
conference to train your entire staff on the treatment of mental health related issues that the
diagnosis of COVID-19 has enhanced.
Problem
When the world was taken over by the pandemic of COVID-19 many problems arose.
However, the problems in the medical field, especially those related to brain and mental health,
took society by surprise. Firstly, COVID-19 caused many symptoms related to the brain and an
individual's mental health. These symptoms include cognitive and attention deficits also
identified as “brain fog”, anxiety, depression, psychosis, seizures, and suicidal ideations and
behaviors (National Institutes of Health, 2022). Once COVID-19 began the world realized it not
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only affected adults but more so children and the elderly. The effects on the developing brain
include changes in routine, virtual schooling, mask-wearing, caregiver absence and/or loss, and
financial instability (National Institute of Health, 2022). It is important for healthcare workers to
understand the demographic population that was more affected by this virus than others. At the
top of the list, healthcare workers themselves were most affected by COVID-19 and were at the
forefront of battling its effects. Furthermore, individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups,
mothers and pregnant women, people with financial or housing insecurity, children, people with
disabilities, and individuals with preexisting mental illness and substance use disorder (National
Institute of Health, 2022).
Objectives
In order to find successful methods of treating mental health related issues after COVID-19 I
plan on addressing the following;
Population: Research on individuals who underwent mental health interventions—adults,
kids, and teenagers—or medical professionals who received training on how to
administer mental health interventions during or following a pandemic.
Intervention: A service rendered to a person or population with the intention of
evaluating, enhancing, preserving, promoting, or altering their state of health,
functioning, or health is referred to as an intervention.
Comparison: Other treatment methods exercised during normal care versus during the
care exercised in a medical health crisis.
Outcomes: Research detailing the creation, efficacy, and acceptability of mental health
therapies intended to enhance health functioning.
(Soklaridis et al, 2020)
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Solutions
I propose to bring awareness to the solutions related to COVID-19 and mental health by focusing
on 3 main elements. First, I will discuss the creation and expression of collaboration and patient
trust (Schreiber, 2021). It is imperative that individuals experiencing mental health crises feel
like they are being treated fairly and honestly. Patient and client-directed care makes the
individual feel as though they are a part of their treatment like they are being heard and their
thoughts and opinions are appreciated. These can have an influential and beneficial effect on
their treatment and their recovery. Secondly, I will focus on an intensive level of mental health
support (Schreiber, 2021). Creating this intensive level of care will help resolve the
symptomology related earlier discussed in the developing brain as well as the mental health
symptoms created by COVID-19. These symptoms as mentioned before include psychosis,
seizures, depression, brain fog, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors. The intensity of the level of care
provides the stability and structure needed to address and treat these issues. Lastly, focusing
mostly on suicidal ideations and behaviors would enhance family and/or caregiver support
(Schreiber, 2021). When an individual is having these thoughts and feelings a lot of the time
they feel unheard, alone, worthless, and unwanted, Increasing the support of family, medical
teams, and caregivers allows these individuals to create a healthy and positive support system to
resolve and heal from these potentially fatal ideas.
Method
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I propose to implement a 3-day training/ conference that will focus on one of the above-
mentioned solutions on each day of the training.
Resources
To hold a successful training, I will need a conference room, a projection screen, a microphone,
and refreshments for your staff. I will need an 8-hour slot for each day to appropriately and
completely teach and discuss the topics for each day of the training.
Schedule
On day one we will discuss collaboration and patient trust. On day 2 we will discuss intensive
mental health support. On day 3 we will discuss enhanced family and caregiver support.
Qualifications
As a mental health professional, I believe I possess the appropriate qualifications to hold and
facilitate this training conference. I provide many certifications related to mental health treatment
such as ASAM certifications and DDAP trainings. I also have been working in this field for over
2 years and have seen the effects of COVID-19 on the symptomology of mental health
personally.
Cost
There are 3 different options related to the cost of this training. First is early registration. For
these individuals the cost of the training would be $125. The second option is advanced
registration. For these employees the cost of the conference would be $150. Lastly, is onsite
registration. The cost of this option is $175. I you wanted to collectively pay for this training as a
company then the final cost would be $4,500.
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Conclusion
Anxiety has been increased by COVID-19, and efforts to restrict the virus have resulted in
isolation, uncertainty, and financial misery, all of which have a negative impact on mental health.
Healthcare providers tending to patients during these emergencies face not only the risk of
infection but also psychological strain due to rising rates of population illness and mortality as
well as increased demand for medical services (Soklaridis et al, 2020). This training will provide
your staff with the tools and knowledge to adequately and appropriately assess and treat your
incoming population of mental health patients who have been affected by COVID-19. I want to
thank you for your time and consideration in my proposal to train your staff on how to approach
and treat individuals who have suffered from increased mental health symptomology after being
diagnosed with COVID-19.
References
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National Institutes of Health. (2022, August 24). COVID-19 Mental Health Information and
Resources. NIH COVID-19 Research. https://covid19.nih.gov/covid-19-topics/mental-
health
Schreiber, M. (2021). Treating patients with long COVID. Apa.org.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/07/treating-long-covid
Soklaridis, S., Lin, E., Lalani, Y., Rodak, T., & Sockalingam, S. (2020). Mental health
interventions and supports during COVID- 19 and other medical pandemics: A rapid
systematic review of the evidence. General Hospital Psychiatry, 66, 133–146.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.08.007
World Health Organization. (2022, March 2). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in
prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. World Health Organization.
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-
prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide
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