Q: What is the cumulative effect on mental health of COVID-19, social distancing and now the protests/riots on African-American and other BIPOC adults, both immediately and in the long term? A: The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened longstanding ethnicity-based healthcare disparities that have resulted in disproportionate infection, morbidity and mortality rates for BIPOC adults, specifically…
We are excited to re-introduce our Thought Leaders series with Dr. Karen L. Fortuna, one of the world’s leading researchers and activists focused on digital peer support and the role of technology in recovery. As a result of COVID-19, technology-enabled peer support has become the norm and vitally necessary to ensure continuity of care. We…
In contrast to the conventional drug approval pathway in which drugs are reviewed under a New Drug Application (NDA), approval of a biological product is done under a separate pathway known as the Biologics License Application (BLA). Examples of biologics include therapeutic proteins such as insulin, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and blood-derived products. While the NDA…
When your workplace is disrupted by a tragic event, employees may feel overwhelmed, anxious, insecure, and distracted. Everyone reacts differently to stress events, but tragic workplace events are serious and can cause significant physical, cognitive, and emotional reactions. A team of experienced mental health consultants can help reduce the negative impact of the event and…
Being discharged from the hospital or receiving an unexpected diagnosis can feel lonely and confusing. What’s next? Where do I start? How do I manage all these follow up visits? What was I prescribed? Data suggests that access to a collaborative team of a pharmacist and care manager can reduce hospital re-admissions by 50 percent….
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and social distancing becomes the new normal, we have seen rapid expansion of digitally delivered peer and family support. In this post, we explore emerging issues and considerations for using technology to reach others. The use of technology to offer peer support is a practice that has been around for…
Anyone who has gone through a traumatic event can develop symptoms of stress disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the COVID-19 pandemic in general would not meet the criteria for formally causing a stress disorder, many of the same issues can result from such a widespread and overwhelming event. The pandemic could be…