An action plan to address the mental health impact of COVID-19 on communities: Five effective strategies.

Tayyib, Neelofer M

The 2019 coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the physical and mental health of individuals and communities worldwide. While research is being conducted in real-time to address the unique impacts of COVID-19, this moment is also an opportunity to learn from previous infectious disease outbreaks. The goal of this paper is to review the literature on previous infectious disease outbreaks to better understand and identify effective interventions that may help mitigate the psychological impact and collective trauma on a given community. Five strategies are recommended for developing a plan of action: (1) engage and partner with community leaders and community-based organizations; (2) establish (and re-establish) community support networks including self-help groups; (3) conduct community outreach, education, and training on the signs and symptoms of mental health issues, how to access mental health resources, and effective supportive and coping skills; (4) deploy Community Health Workers to access, engage, and educate community members; and (5) use a community capacity-building and community empowerment-oriented approach. When implemented together, these strategies have been shown to help communities reduce the mental health impact and heal from the collective trauma of an infectious disease outbreak and increase the collective efficacy of a community, resulting in increased resiliency and preparedness for future outbreaks. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).