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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is testing our mental health and wellbeing, shaking our stability, and bringing uncertainty to what we could previously depend upon. Without an adequate response now, we are sure to see adverse mental health outcomes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and historical trauma as time passes. We need mental and behavioral health system and policy changes to help all communities thrive—now and beyond this public health crisis.
In response, CLASP developed resources to help policymakers and practitioners expand access to health and mental health care for young adults. These resources include a brief that overviews pandemic-related mental health concerns and provides policy recommendations, as well as two blogs highlighting promising strategies:
- A brief by Isha Weerasinghe outlining mental and behavioral health system fixes that should be implemented during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond;
- A blog by Kayla Tawa and Dr. Nia West-Bey highlighting the importance of aggressively implementing and expanding presumptive eligibility for Medicaid during the pandemic; and
- A blog by Sebastian Hickey on the promise of telehealth in addressing the mental health needs of youth and young adults, a service that has increased during to the pandemic.
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