Call for therapists to be support resource for healthcare providers

Dear Colleagues,

As part of the Douglas County Emergency Management plan, Bert Nash is developing a rotation of Master Level Clinicians to be available as a support resource to Medical Healthcare Providers who are working frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we’ve seen in other communities across the Nation and Worldwide, we are preparing for a surge of people who will need medical care related to COVID-19. There are predictions this surge will take place in Douglas County mid to late April, and peak sometime in May. While this timeline might not be exact, we have seen the number of COVID-19 cases increase in Douglas County over the past week so would like to activate the plan to increase support to healthcare providers.

Providing this level of high-risk medical care during COVID-19 is profound and unprecedented for most healthcare providers. The psychological impact, prolonged stress and trauma is also unprecedented, and those providing medical care will need increased support. Contact with a supportive person or professional during an intense, high stress/emotional moment can be just what a person needs to establish their own self-regulation, decrease their anxiety and help them feel emotionally prepared to continue to provide the care and do the job they love.

That is what I hope together, we can provide.

Your role:

•    Join a coordinated response that enables us to provide brief crisis counseling and support to healthcare providers via phone and other social media outlets such as Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime.

•    Be on a rotation with other clinicians as we are coordinating a 24/7 response.

Please note:

This is not a formal therapist and client relationship process but is a volunteer service provided under the Emergency Response Team (ERT) established at Bert Nash which we activate for local  disaster response. The volume of need and the responsiveness of healthcare providers is yet to be determined. Most importantly, we want to be available.

More detailed instructions will be given to those who are able to provide this important service and I will be scheduling a ZOOM call to discuss next steps and answer questions. For more information about the Douglas County COVID-19 response plan, please visit the “Douglas County Coronavirus Response Hub” at https://coronavirus-response-dgco.hub.arcgis.com/

Thank you for joining us and responding to this need. Together, we can make a difference for Douglas County healthcare providers who among others, are at the frontline helping meet the needs of our community members. To learn more and to get involved, please contact me by calling 785.830.1741 or email to nrials@bertnash.org.

Sincerely and all the best,

K. Nicole Rials, LSCSW | Urgent Care Director, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center