How one year of shutdowns affected mental health

As part of the Yolo Community Needs Series, put on by the Yolo Community Foundation, county mental health providers met to discuss how the pandemic has affected their programs and the people they serve.

The panel was moderated by Petrea Marchand, the president of the National Alliance of Mental Illness. It featured representatives from Suicide Prevention of Yolo County, Sutter Health and Rise, Inc. It took place on March 11.

Panelists spoke on the changes in the needs for mental health care for both patients with serious mental illness — or illnesses that are usually chronic and can require 24/7 care — and situational mental illness.

All panelists discussed the needs of county residents with both situational and serious mental illnesses.

Dr. Urmi Patel, the mental health director at Sutter, noted the need for housing for those with serious mental illnesses, and that Yolo County led the way with using Project Room

key and the importance of providing permanent housing for people.

“I think an additional step to that though could be providing that additional wraparound services,” Patel said. “For example, if somebody does have mental health issues and they’re living in a permanent housing situation, how can we support them? With transportation to get to their medication appointments or to get case management?”

Additionally, it was noted that the county needs more hospital beds for mental health care. Currently, Dignity Health is the only 5150 — an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold — facility in the county.

For situational mental illness, panelists discussed the need for better access and outreach.

“A key thing is that relationship building and trust,” said Tico Zendejas, the executive director of RISE, inc. “And that takes time to establish. To build that relationship and trust and to reduce stigma.”

Zendejas emphasized the Esparto community center and medical facility, which is currently being built in partnership with RISE Inc., Winters Healthcare Foundation and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

Panelists also discussed the changes in need during the pandemic.

Diane Sommers with Yolo Suicide Prevention noted that isolation has been a main cause for calls during the pandemic. The organization has also seen an increase in familiar issues.

The mental health issues brought forth by the pandemic have caused a nearly 100% increase in calls to the crisis line. In the past, Sommers explained, the line may receive about 4,500 callers a year. The crisis line is now on track to handle about 10,000 calls in 2021.

Patel also focused on the need to improve telehealth systems. She noted that offering telehealth services brought a “surge” of mental health patients to Sutter due to barriers being brought down.

Working with youth has also been essential and extremely difficult during the pandemic. Sommers noted that her organization had been doing a Signs of Suicide program at local secondary schools for over 30 years up until the pandemic moved schools into a virtual setting.

“In that program, it taught students to not only look for signs of suicide in others but also in themselves. We really have found in all the years working with adolescents, they are more reticent about reporting suicidal feelings, how they are feeling compared to helping out a friend.”

She worked with Davis schools to provide S.O.S cards but said that it wasn’t enough and that it was essential for students to go back to school.

Zendejas also noted that his group has working to provide clinicians at rural Yolo County schools.

Marchand asked panelists what opportunities there could be for the community to increase mental health services in Yolo County, and suggested a mental health resource guide that could be shared throughout the county.

If you or someone you know needs mental health care, call the Suicide Prevention of Yolo County Crisis Line at (888) 233-0228.