While many think COVID is behind us, the fact remains that the impacts of COVID linger and are still affecting tens of millions of people across the United States. Countless people have died, families have been under an inordinate amount of stress, children have missed out on precious learning and socializing time, and businesses have disappeared. Americans everywhere are still reeling from the destruction caused by COVID-19. One of the remaining effects of COVID-19 that is not going away anytime soon is the impact COVID has on our mental health.
The reported rates of anxiety, depression, suicide, addiction, PTSD, and other psychological disorders skyrocketed during the past few years since COVID-19 began impacting our world. While children were left at home and families had to wonder how they were going to make ends meet, the world’s mental health suffered, and the mental health system suffered alongside it.
Staffing shortages, sickness, and the disruption of infrastructure caused many mental health clinics to cut down their operations, and some clinics even shut down altogether due to a loss of revenue and profitability. Patients seeking treatment were put on long wait lists, those who lost their jobs and insurance coverage could not afford treatment, and the already looming mental health crisis became even worse.
Amid the chaos, there were many bright spots to be found. Essential services, including many mental health facilities, found ways to operate safely. Dr. Cullen Hardy, founder of Nora Mental Health and co-owner of Midwest Wellness, began strategizing with his partner at the beginning of the pandemic, and they both agreed on one thing: “we will figure out a way to safely stay open for our patients and our team no matter what.”
“It was a chaotic time for our country and the world. Nobody really knew what was going on, and people everywhere were scared,” Dr. Cullen Hardy says. “We had many conversations when the shutdowns began, and we made a firm commitment to those who depended on us for mental health treatment. We wanted to try to provide a sense of normalcy in an otherwise terrifying situation by keeping our locations open and offering our services to those who needed them. We also wanted our staff to know that, if they chose, they could continue working on the front lines with us to assist those in need…and those needs were great. It wasn’t easy, and I give all the credit to our amazing team of clinicians and support staff who made it possible to continue meeting the needs of our patients.”
One of the roadblocks to continuing services at Hardy’s mental health clinics was the fact that many patients were afraid to seek help because they did not want to get sick, and they did not feel safe leaving their homes. Dr. Hardy described how their entire team responded. “We quickly pivoted to offering telehealth for all clients, and we made sure they all knew their regular therapy services would continue uninterrupted. As an essential business, we worked hard to make our physical locations safe and healthy for those who wanted to continue receiving in-person therapy. I’m so proud of how our team responded to the crisis. This is why we do what we do, and it really took an entire team effort to accomplish what we, and many other clinics around the country, did. We are there when people need us, and we were not going to leave anyone hanging.”
In addition to honoring their commitment to the community, they also provided pro-bono services free of charge to clients who had lost their jobs and were facing financial hardships. “It was simply the right thing to do,” Hardy says. “The calls from people across our region were heartbreaking, and we weren’t going to be the ones to say sorry, we can’t see you because you lost your job. That would never sit right, and that isn’t what we stand for. It wasn’t just us…so many businesses innovated and found ways to keep serving their communities. It was inspiring to see everyone working together, problem-solving, and meeting the needs of our fellow citizens.”
While 2020 changed the world in ways we could never imagine, it was also a chance to witness the good in human nature and the power of the human spirit. People from across the world came together to work as one with the unified goal of helping each other. Hardy’s story is just one of countless stories that emerged during the pandemic and is a reminder that, even in the darkest of times, when people work together, anything is possible.
To Learn More About Nora Mental Health, visit NoraMentalHealth.com.
