State Provides Two Mental Health Helplines During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Life has changed for many in the face of a global pandemic. In addition to the physical health effects of COVID-19, there are mental health effects that have resulted from the situation as well. North Carolina has opened two helplines for residents to address the need: Hope4NC (1-855-587-3463) and Hope4Healers (919-226-2002). WFDD's Bethany Chafin spoke with North Carolina's Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health & Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Kody Kinsley, about the resources. 

"What we have seen in other disasters is that while behavioral health becomes an issue early on, especially when you have something as drastic as this, behavioral health is not something that goes away immediately after the disaster," says Kinsley. "It is a concern that lingers for quite some time because people's recovery from trauma is not instant. And so we really have to be in the recovery business from a social and emotional perspective for the long haul."

Interview Highlights

On the creation of the two helplines:

Folks are already experiencing a great deal of isolation. And on top of that, because of the uncertainty of a global pandemic, you know, that creates or is a good breeding ground for fear and anxiety, which is a really ripe space for mental illness to grow. And then, I think about individuals who are in substance use disorder recovery, whether that be opioid or alcohol. And they have their own daily lives that they live throughout their recovery and now those daily lives have been hugely disrupted. And you think about people going to AA meetings or other treatment providers, and that's more difficult for them to accomplish.

And so there's just a lot of things happening right now ... COVID-19, has either radically shifted the way we live our lives or it has created such fear and anxiety that looking ahead, you know, recognize that there's a need to make sure we're having a really thoughtful and very bold mental health response to this event as well.

On the need for one of the helplines to directly cater to health care workers:

The Hope4Healers program, I think, recognizes the fact that individuals that are working in health care settings, first responders, childcare folks — these individuals that our society clearly recognizes as essential staff — are just going to experience trauma in a way that a lot of other folks won't be experiencing right now. You know, this is akin in some places to a ripe space for PTSD or other things to blossom out of this. And you're experiencing as a health care professional, you know, the need to help folks, to have limited resources to do that. And we want to make sure our health care providers have access to licensed clinical providers that can connect them to care and then can also help them weather through that storm together.

On what a person can expect when they call:

When individuals call the Hope4NC helpline, they're going to be connected with a crisis worker who has received some special training in how to help de-escalate the situation, [they'll be] talking individuals through what's going on and again, help normalize their experiences, listen to them and then connect them further with follow-up resources through our behavioral health network in North Carolina. The Hope4Healers help line is a little different. This is a very new thing. We've stood it up in collaboration with the North Carolina Psychological Foundation. And so right now what happens is individuals when they call in, they'll leave a message and then they'll receive a call back. And actually, when that person calls back, as opposed to kind of a frontline crisis worker, they're actually going to be speaking with a volunteer licensed behavioral health clinician and then actually be able to kind of have more time to talk that through in a productive way.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.