Mental health in Miami-Dade in the age of COVID-19 | Opinion

Over the past several months, I’ve openly and extensively discussed my brother Pedro’s lifelong battles with serious mental health issues until his passing a year and a half ago. It was not only an incredible struggle for him, but for our family as well.

From that time, there were three things that really stayed with me. The first being how pervasive and serious this issue is in Miami-Dade. Second, how incredibly difficult it is to access proper medical care, and third, how the stigma around mental health kept my parents silent about this issue for so many years.

As a result, I decided to speak up and make it a major focus for our community.

Since I began elevating this conversation, our reality has changed in radical ways. Stay at home orders, school cancellations, job loss, social distancing, isolation, and the uncertainty about our future have made the current coronavirus crisis the perfect storm for exacerbating this problem.

If I learned anything from caring for my brother, it is that any preventative or early measure that can be taken is always more effective and less costly than managing a crisis. Therefore, our time to act is now.

First, it is imperative that we begin to provide additional mental health support programs to our front line – the nurses, firefighters, police, transit operators, and educators, among others, who have been working day and night to keep us safe and keep our communities moving forward.

Our teachers, in particular, have had to make some significant adjustments in order to provide a virtual learning environment for our children, with many of them actually working harder and longer hours than ever before while also tending to their own families and needs.

As such, it is important that we encourage our frontline to take care of themselves too. Providing coping tools such as one-on-one employee counseling services or a 24/7 mental health care hotline for emergency care can help to mitigate the negative impact this crisis could have in the long run.

Secondly, while there are those who are more vulnerable during these times, like our first responders or those with underlying issues, like my brother Pedro, there are also many who will face mental health issues for the very first time in their lives due to this pandemic.

The unfamiliarity of these symptoms coupled with the ongoing stigma related to mental health will cause many to not seek professional help, further exacerbating an already growing problem.

Globally, experts have already watched how the stay-at-home order has amplified the number of cases of domestic violence and child abuse. These such incidents have increased by more than an alarming 30 percent, which means that for some, access to these resources could mean the difference between life and death.

We quickly need a public education campaign that heightens awareness around the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and provides residents with access to a list of resources they can tap into, should they need to seek help.

The good news is that in sharing this common experience we are also given the opportunity to help and care for each other. This means remembering that we are all struggling and adjusting to our new environment in different ways. It is important to practice compassion with our families, our neighbors and more importantly, with ourselves.

So today, I’m asking everyone to do their part to help. If you know someone who is lonely, elderly or ill, please reach out to them. If you haven’t talked to a family member or friend in some time, please give them a call. If you know a caretaker, health care worker, or first responder who is on the frontline of this crisis, please show your appreciation.

And if you, yourself, are struggling with anxiety or depression or are in danger during this time, please reach out for help.

Alex Penelas is the former mayor of Miami-Dade. He is currently running again for mayor.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 11:21 AM.