HJNO Sep/Oct 2020

34 SEP / OCT 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus to address mild to moderate TBI in veterans. The Marcus Institute will collaborate with Tulane and serve as the clinical coordinating center for TBI diagnosis and treatment programs provided to veterans by other entities of The Avalon Fund. DePaul Community Health Centers Provide Substance Abuse Treatment During Pandemic One of the biggest challenges for persons struggling with substance abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic surrounds the reality that many treatment programs in the New Orleans area are not accepting new patients. It’s a prob- lem that Mia Kacmarcik-Sanders, LCSW, sub- stance abuse specialist manager at DePaul Com- munity Health Centers (DCHC), deals with daily. “Understandably, adjusting to the new reali- ties of treating patients during the pandemic has been tough for some local substance abuse treatment programs, but I’m thankful that we at DePaul haven’t missed a beat in terms of our ability to serve both current and new patients,” said Kacmarcik-Sanders. “Difficult times such as what we’re experiencing during this pandemic, unfortunately, can result in some individuals increasing their use of different substances to cope. We want the community to know that our doors are open to assist anyone seeking help.” DCHC offers telehealth appointments for all patients, including new patients, who seek assis- tance with substance abuse. The holistic, outpa- tient medication assisted treatment options for opioid addiction, for example, include medica- tion management and group therapy for both addiction and mental health. Patients also have access to basic medical and dental care, and DCHC processes all lab work. DCHC accepts all insurances, including Medic- aid and Medicare, and services everyone, regard- less of their ability to pay. A sliding fee scale is available for self-pay patients. For more informa- tion, call (504) 207-3064 or visit www.DePaulCom- munityHealthCenters.org. Tulane Paper: Emotional Well-Being at Stake from COVID-19 Isolation When disaster strikes, social support and com- munity ties play key roles in maintaining men- tal health. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic makes such contact difficult, if not impossible, and that can lead to a marked increase in loneliness, iso- lation, depression, and other forms of mental ill- ness, according to a published paper by research- ers at the Tulane University School of Social Work. The paper, published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, a publica- tion of the American Psychological Association, explores the potential impact of COVID-19 on loneliness and well-being. The authors are Pat- rick Bordnick, dean of the Tulane School of Social Work; Tonya Hansel, who oversees the school’s doctorate program; and Leia Saltzman, an assis- tant professor with expertise in disaster mental health and collective trauma. “Social support plays a key role in well-being, yet one of the major preventative efforts for reducing the spread of COVID-19 involves social distancing,” the authors write. “During times of crisis, social support is emphasized as a coping mechanism.” The authors point to previous disasters, includ- ing Hurricane Katrina, to show the crucial protec- tive roles that social support and community ties played in mental health recovery. They also look at earlier studies, including a disaster study on a 1972 mining disaster in which bereaved widows reported high levels of personal loneliness but not community loneliness. Symptoms of depression and other serious mental illnesses—common following disasters— are exacerbated by loneliness and lack of social support. Social support is also a strong predic- tor of resilience following disasters and posttrau- matic growth following exposure to trauma and disasters. “New Orleans has great examples of social support and community ties,” Hansel said. These include faith-based organizations, fam- ily reunions, krewe membership, and nonprofit volunteer work. “These groups not only provide social outlets and identity formation, but they also represent cultural norms and benefits for the community. Tulane University has received a $12.5 million gift from The Avalon Fund for the creation of the Tulane University Center for Brain Health. The center will specialize in the treatment of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in U.S. military veterans.