Disaster Mental and Behavioral Health and COVID-19

Mental health and behavioral health resources specific to COVID-19. Additional regular Disaster Mental/Behavioral Health resources may also apply.

On this page:
Wellness
Crisis Lines
Responder Resources
Health Provider Resources
Community Resources
Child and Parent Resources
Family Resources
Workplace Resources
Mental Health Support Resources
Community Violence

Wellness

• Regional Behavioral Health Coordinators (RBHC)
  Disaster behavioral health subject matter experts who engage in outreach and educational activities within each of the public health regions across the state to facilitate the resiliency and recovery of survivors and responders from disasters, terrorism, and public health emergencies.
   
• WellnessMN
  Behavioral Health Staff Wellness, providing tools and resources that support the individual, the team, and the organization for all responder levels to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Crisis Lines

COVID Cares Stress Phone Support Service. Any Minnesotan experiencing stress can call 833-HERE4MN (833-437-3466) for free telephone support from 9am to 9pm every day. The service is a collaboration with volunteers from the Minnesota Psychiatric Society, the Minnesota Psychological Association, the Minnesota Black Psychologists, and Mental Health Minnesota. The free service is also accessible at FastTrackerMN.org where searchers can also find psychiatric and mental health services availability and real-time Substance Use Disorder Treatment program openings.

• American Red Cross Virtual Family Assistance Center
  Support for Frontline Workers. Call tollfree 833-492-0094 or Request a Call.
   
• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline and Text to Talk line
   
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
   
• Crisis Text Line: Text “MN” to 741741
   
• Adult mental health crisis response phone numbers
  Minnesota Mobile Mental Health Crisis Line Call: **CRISIS (**274747).
  For landlines, see the directory for mental health crisis phone numbers in Minnesota by county

Responder Resources

• Moral Injury in Healthcare Workers on the Frontlines of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak (PDF)
   
• Tips for Managing Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Wallet Card
   
• Tips for Healthcare Professionals: Coping with Stress and Compassion Fatigue 
   
• Caring for Yourself in the Face of Difficult Work (PDF)
  Pocket cards
   
• First Responder Toolkit- COVID-19 Version (Beta)
   
• Self-Care and applying Psychological First Aid for COVID-19 Responders (YouTube: 13:56 minutes)
  Provides the healthcare responder with just-in-time training on responder stress during COVID-19, and provides stress management strategies that should be implemented now to protect the our healthcare workforce.
   
• Psychological First Aid: A Minnesota Community Supported Model
  MDH-U of MN School of Public Health collaboration. Five video series, with available CEUs.
  • Psychological First Aid Part 1: Introduction to Psychological First Aid (YouTube: 6 min)
  • Psychological First Aid Part 2: The Impact of Trauma (YouTube: 6 min)
  • Psychological First Aid Part 3: Principles of Psychological First Aid (YouTube: 4 min)
  • Psychological First Aid Parts 4 & 5: Techniques and the "Dos" and "Dont's" of PFA (YouTube: 10 min)
  • Psychological First Aid Part 6: Responder Self Care (3 min)
• COVID-19 Responder Self-Triage
  Daily Responder Self Triage checklist provides a way to look at and assess your stress level over a week period.
   
• COVID-19 and Healthcare Responder Stress (PDF)
  Healthcare responders are at higher than average risk for traumatic stress reactions because their work repeatedly exposes them to highly stressful situations.
   
• Self-Care Pocket Reference Guide for Emergency Response Deployment (PDF)
  A guide for volunteer responders that includes pre- and post- deployment checklists and self-reflection activities. This resource was originally created for the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health, and is now produced by Wisconsin Department of Health.
   
• Tips for Health Care Practitioners and Responders: HELPING SURVIVORS COPE WITH GRIEF AFTER A DISASTER OR TRAUMATIC EVENT (PDF)
   
• Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - COVID-19 Leadership Checklist: Mitigating Team Stress (PDF)
   
• Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – COVIS-19 iCOVER-Med: Rapid Peer-Based Management of Acute Stress in Medical Teams (PDF)
   
• Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – COVID-19 Sleep Checklist: Healthcare Workers and First Responders (PDF)
   

Health Provider Resources

• Supporting Senior Mental Well-being in Congregate Living during COVID-19 
   
• Are You Working to Help People Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
   
• Helping Personnel Who Experience Work Related Trauma Exposure (PDF)
   
• Managing Stress During A Crisis: A Guide for Supervisors (PDF)
   
• Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress  - Prolonged Operations in Personal Protective Equipment During COVID-19: Recommendations for Workers and Managers (PDF)
   
• Managing Patient and Family Distress Associated with COVID-19: Tips for Healthcare Workers in Hospitals and Alternate Care Settings (PDF)
   
• Mitigate Absenteeism by Protecting Healthcare Workers’ Psychological Health and Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF)
   
• Psychological Effects of Quarantine During the Coronavirus Outbreak: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know (PDF)
   
• Psychological Effects of Quarantine During the Coronavirus Outbreak: What Public Health Leaders Need to Know (PDF)
   
• SAMHSA Coronavirus Resources for Behavioral Health (mental health and substance abuse) Providers

Community Resources

• COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Hub 
   
• Find Your Happy Place: Tips To Reduce COVID-19 Stress (PDF)
   
• How Right Now Partner Toolkit (PDF)
   
• Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety
   
• SAMHSA Behavioral Health Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation during an Infectious Disease Outbreak (PDF)
   
• Psychological First Aid & COVID-19: A Minnesota Community Support Model (PDF)
  PowerPoint presentation about using Psychological First Aid for COVID-19.

Child and Parent Resources

• Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus
  NPR education reporter Cory Turner's story about what kids want to know about coronavirus spurred creation of this comic.
   
• Trinka and Sam Fighting the Big Virus: Trinka, Sam and Littletown Work Together (PDF)
   
• The power of parenting during  the Covid-19 pandemic: addressing fears and feelings  from prior losses (PDF)
   
• Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Fact sheet
  Provided by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
   
• Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource provided by the National Association of School Psychologists
   
• SAMHSA Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers, During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (PDF)

Family Resources

• Supporting Families of Healthcare Workers Exposed to COVID-19 (PDF)
• Managing Family Conflict While Home During COVID-19: Intimate Partners (PDF)
• When Family Members are Hospitalized Due to COVID-19 (PDF)
• When a Loved One Dies from COVID-19 (PDF)

Mental Health Support Resources

• Support for People with Mental Illness Who Are Sick with COVID-19 (PDF)
   
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) COVID-19 Information and Resources
   
• NHA: Living with Mental Illness during COVID-19 Outbreak– Preparing for your wellness
   
• TPT | NOW, the Minnesota Department of Health and WellShare International, funded though the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, partnered with trusted cultural organizations to answer your top questions on mental health and COVID-19. Stream them on the TPT | NOW Facebook Videos page: TPT Now.
  • Coping with COVID: A Mental Health Resource: English (Video: 30 minute) |(Video: 90 second)
  • Coping with COVID: A Mental Health Resource: Hmong (Video: 30 minute) | (Video: 90 second)
  • Coping with COVID: A Mental Health Resource: Spanish (Video: 30 minute) | (Video: 90 second)
  • Coping with COVID: A Mental Health Resource: Somali (Video: 30 minute) | (Video: 90 second)
     
• Is Anxiety On the Rise? Is This Feeling Normal? (YouTube: 1 minute 40 seconds)
  The Minneapolis Youth Congress (MYC) developed this video because they felt it was important to discuss mental health in the open to help their peers who are looking for clarity.

Workplace Resources

• Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress - Coronavirus Preparedness & Response: Critical Elements for Business Planning (PDF)
   
• Tips for Work/Life Balance during COVID-19 (PDF)
  A healthy work/life balance can help you navigate your way through COVID-19
   
• How Supervisors and Managers Can Support Staff during COVID-19 (PDF)
  Traumatic stress reactions have an impact not only on the individual, but also on the agency as a whole

Community Violence

• Coping With Grief After Community Violence
   
• Community Violence: Reactions and Actions in Dangerous Times
   
• Restoring a Sense of Well-Being in Children After a Disaster
   
• Secondary Traumatic Stress: A Fact Sheet for Organizations Employing Community Violence Workers
   
• When Terrible Things Happen