The Covid 19 pandemic had spread like wildfire and even became overwhelming at one point. Some
of the places hit hardest by it were the long-term care facilities. Eventually, restrictions were placed at
these facilities and visitors had to be screen and limited to their loved ones and mental health personal
or the visits had to stop completely. “Government-imposed visitor restrictions and pandemic-related
restrictions were perceived as negatively impacting the emotional well-being, loneliness, and quality
of life of LTC residents” (Lind et al., 2022). Now mental health services were needed more than ever.
According to, “The global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact
on mental health” (Almeda et al., 2022). With social distancing protocols a different approach was
needed. Telehealth options in the human services field began to rise. Even then patients had to wait a
long time to even see their therapist. As stated by Lind et Al., “Lack of clarity about who was
considered an essential health care worker resulted in many mental health clinicians being refused
entry into LTC facilities and disrupted their ability to provide mental health services to their patients”
(2022).
The patients were not the only ones struggling to keep it together during the pandemic.
“Clinicians consistently reported that personal stress and concerns about making patients sick were the
most challenging aspects of the pandemic” (Lind et al., 2022). While trying to provide quality care for
their patients the struggle to continued when offices were forced to shut down if an outbreak occurred.
Now unable to see an patient the clinicians were hurt financially too. Not surprisingly, many clinicians
(74.6%) reported being financially impacted by the pandemic. Approximately half (51.6%) indicated
that inconsistent access to their patients adversely affected their income” (Lind et al., 2022). Clinicians
had to follow the guidelines in order to protect their patients and themselves.
There is still a fear of catching Covid 19 felt across the board. People now have the option to come I
person or seek out telehealth services. Some medical offices still requires a mask when you enter the
building. However, some clinicians only offer telehealth services.
During the pandemic patients in long term care facilities were unable to seek proper mental health
services. In part to not being able to receive visitors or lack of telehealth services provided. Clinicians
were also feeling the pressure to provide care while still trying to protect themselves from catching the
virus. The impact mentally and financially took it’s toll.
Effects of the virus are still felt today.
Inflation in the US in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The issue is the rise of prices on products.
The rise on products is occurring because of the COVID-19 Pandemic that caused supply chain
shortages. In the article, Food Prices Spikes Temporary, Inflation Likely to Fall in 2022 by Glauber
and Smith stated, "Nevertheless, higher food prices have important consequences, especially for low-
income families that spend higher shares of their incomes on food." Inflation is affecting Americans,
however low-income families are affected the most. Another article by Wiseman, D'Innocenzio, and
Anderson said, " Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but inflation has more than
wiped out those gains for most people." Overall, these two articles focus on the struggle that many
Americans are facing due to inflation post COVID-19 Pandemic.
Inflation impacts the work of human service agencies because the demand for resources is climbing as
the actual amount of resources available remains low. Human services agencies may struggle to get
resources for those in need because cuts have reduced the amount of resources companies are able and
willing to provide. Another reason inflation impacts human services is the cost of living adjustments
that are made have raised people's income causing them to be ineligible for government assistance.
However, they are not able to keep up with the rising costs of goods and services. Lastly, inflation
may have a negative and positive affect on human services agencies. For example, positively people
will inquire and seek help from agencies, but negatively the demand for help may become
overwhelming for agencies. As the need for help rises, the resources and funding may remain low.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to mental health conditions. It is critical to understand
what additional services and supports are necessary post pandemic. The article mentioned there was a
study conducted to gather qualitative research, and a group a behavioral health providers shared that
social isolation has worsened mental health conditions and caused people to turn to substance use and
fatally overdose.
The second article I chose explains what unprecedented effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on
mental health functions. A 15-month study was conducted assessing what the clinical and community
outcomes were. All of the groups interviewed during this study had significantly increased symptoms
of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions. The study also showed that work functioning
worsened over time as well. At the end of the study, it was determined that individuals who had access
to services during the pandemic exhibited lower negative impacts of COVID-19 on mental health than
expected.
These issues impact the work of human service agencies in a few ways. The first way being that
mental health providers are in more of a need now, post pandemic than ever. Also, human service
professionals are needed now to help individuals adjust back to normal life- help people get a job if
they were laid off or to help individuals find other services needed to support their families. The
agencies are much busier now after the pandemic since businesses are functioning back at normal
capacity, and families need more help now than before.
Due to the recent pandemic, it has become difficult for social workers to meet the demands of their
clientele. With the limited amount of in person interaction, Social workers had to meet with their
clients online. Which proved to be difficult since most people are without cell phones or laptops. It
was difficult for social workers to manage considering they too are being impacted by the pandemic
and their clients are in need now more than ever (Miller 2). Social workers had to respect their client's
privacy and their choices during the pandemic which made them weary about making home visits
(IFSW 19). Social Work Agencies are having to work double overtime due to their importance in
today's society as they are a part of the essential workers team. Having to tend to the needs of someone
else whether it be financially, mentally, and or physically is draining for most, and it caused
depression and acute stress for many. Due to the circumstances, they managed to create a healthy
work regime that not only benefits their clients but also themselves.
Resources:
Ethical challenges for social workers during covid-19: A global perspective. International Federation
of Social Workers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.ifsw.org/ethical-
challenges-for-social-workers-during-covid-19-a-global-perspective/
Miller, J. J., & Grise-Owens, E. (2022, May). The impact of covid-19 on social workers: An
assessment of peritraumatic distress. Journal of social work (London, England). Retrieved November
17, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8948575/
Wynn, J.K., McCleery, A., Novacek, D.M., Reavis, E.A., Senturk, D., Sugar, C.A., Tsai, J., Green,
M.F.(2022). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Functional Outcomes in
Veterans with Psychosis or Recent Homelessness: A 15-Month Longitudinal Study. Public Library of
Science, 17(8)
Jeffers, A., Meehan, A.A., Barker, J., Asher, A., Montgomery, M.D., Bautista, G., Ray, C.M., Laws,
R.L., Fields, V.L., Radhakrishnan, L., Cha, S., Christensen, A., Dupervil, B., Verlenden, J.V., Cassell,
C.H., Boyer, A., DiPietro, B., Cary, M., Yang, M., Mosites, E., Marcus, R. (2022). Impact of Social
Isolation During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health, Sustance Abuse and Homelessness:
Qualitative Interviews with Behavioral Health Providers. International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, 19 (19)
Glauber, J. W., & Smith, V. H. (2022). Food Price Spikes Temporary, Inflation Likely to Fall in 2022.
In AEI Paper & Studies (p. 1+). American Enterprise Institute.
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A697851473/ITOF?u=nhc_main&sid=ebsco&xid=2c26da9b
Wiseman, P., D'Innocenzio, A., & Anderson, M. (2022, April 13). U.S. inflation surges 8.5%, its
fastest pace in 41 years; Food, housing and fuel lead the spike, propelled by supply chain woes and
war in Ukraine. Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], B1.
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A700290448/OVIC?u=nhc_main&sid=bookmark-
OVIC&xid=b74a8cf4
Almeda, N., Díaz-Milanés, D., Guiterrez-Colosia, M. R., & García-Alonso, C. R. (2022). A systematic
review of the international evolution of online mental health strategies and recommendations during
the COVID-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1435926/v1
Lind, L. M., Ward, R. N., Rose, S. G., & Brown, L. M. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on psychological service provision, mental health practitioners, and patients in long-term
care settings: Results from a rapid response survey. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.
https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000486
