Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 13, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Please join us as we recognize the achievements of Worcester Business Journal's 2020 Business Leaders of the Year and Hall of Fame honorees! TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 4:30PM - Doors Open 5:00PM - Dinner & Program Start Cyprian Keyes Golf Club, Boylston 2017 H A L L O F F A M E A W A R D S H A L L O F F A M E A W A R D S & This special event honors the top business leaders in Central Mass for their companies' successes and contributions to the community, along with our special Hall of Fame awards - honoring those who have made a lifetime of achievement in their careers, serving their organizations and the greater community. Don't miss this special opportunity to congratulate and network with the region's top business leaders - register today! www.wbjournal.com/businessleaders Cost: $55. Pre-registration is required. | Dinner • Cash bar CORPORATE TABLE SPONSORSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. For info or to reserve a table contact Kris Prosser at kprosser@wbjournal.com. Presenting sponsors #WBJBizLeaders #WBJHallOfFame WBJ Hall of Fame inductee Linda Cavaioli Executive director, YWCA of Central Massachusetts WBJ Hall of Fame inductee Scott Richardson President, Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects WBJ Hall of Fame inductee Karen Koller President & CEO, RCAP Solutions Small Business Leader of the Year Brandale Randolph Founder & CEO, The 1854 Cycling Co. Large Business Leader of the Year Harry Kokkinis President, Table Talk Pies Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year Stephanie Page Executive director, Abby's House Innovator of the Year Paul Sellew CEO, Little Leaf Farms Family Business Leader of the Year Miriam, Gregory & Edna Hyder Co-owners, Ed Hyder's Mediterranean Marketplace COVID-19's mental toll An American Psychiatric Association poll shows how much people's mental health has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. to 28 days to keep them from having to physically visit an office if they're deemed stable enough. Reliant, which has roughly 70 licensed therapists, conducted 700 or so video therapy sessions in the first two weeks once it went digital. Video is far prefera- ble to phone calls, according to those in the field, because clinicians want to be able to see a patient's facial expression or body language. e agencies had to make sure they were complying with health insurance and industry regula- tions by going online. Reliant, for example, was able to have its Massachusetts-based therapists work with clients in Connecticut or New Hampshire because governors in those states waived requirements forcing therapists to be licensed in those states. Next up has been moving group sessions online as well, something the agencies were tackling a few weeks behind first getting individual appointments running. e challenges include making sure all participants are able to have the computer technology or cellphone app allowing them to join. e hope is the online version can closely enough replicate the in-person benefits in camaraderie and support that clients offer one another. e adjustment has been stark for places like AdCare, which Hillis said hadn't done tele-health at all before now. "It's been very dramatic and very rapid," Hillis said. A critical time ese on-the-fly adjustments are coming at a time when continuing care is about as important as ever. e out- break has le many anxious about what it means for their health or their loved ones', or for their livelihoods. "If you're already highly sensitive to threats and worry about them, this new one will provide you new fuel for your anxiety and all your worry," Nordberg said. e first weeks of the pandemic's hit locally was more about anxiety, Nordberg said. But that'll likely shi more to depression as the weeks go on and people remain stuck largely in their homes and may suffer harmful feelings of loneliness. Some manage their struggles by staying busy, Nordberg said, but that becomes harder if there isn't a fitness club to work out, a cafe to meet a friend for coffee or a workplace to share with colleagues. "What I've been telling people is we've come through the initial fear and stress event," Nordberg said. "ere's no one who's unaware now of coronavirus. At this point, we need to continue to man- age stress of this new realization and the new world we're living in, generally being much more isolated than before. "Now we need to dig in for the mara- thon," he added. "We've done the sprint." Hillis recommends people take time away from reading or watching the news and find simple pleasures, such as mak- ing a special lunch or dinner they can look forward to. Exercise or yoga can be critically important, he said. Collins, who said she's been in recovery therapy for years, said finding therapy online in the age of the corona- virus pandemic might not be ideal, but the services are there if needed. "Tele-health, while it's not perfect, it's better than no connection at all," she said. "Just keeping connected is the most critical factor. You need to see the faces and realize other people are doing this and I can do this." Lisa Blanchard, Spectrum Health Systems 36% 48% 40% 62% 68% 59% 19% 8% 12% 24% Say coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health Are anxious about the possibility of getting coronavirus Are anxious about becoming serious ill or dying from coronavirus Are anxious about the possibility of family and loved ones getting coronavirus Fear the outbreak will have a long-lasting impact on the economy Say the outbreak is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives Say they're having trouble sleeping because of the outbreak Say they're consuming more alcohol or drugs because of the outbreak Say they're fighting more with a partner or loved ones because of the outbreak Say they're having difficulty concentrating on other things because of the outbreak AdCare Hospital in Worcester (opposite page) and Reliant Medical Group (left) have moved behavioral health care online. Spectrum Health Systems (above) has added a coronavirus screening area in Westborough. W Note: The nationally representative sample of 1,004 adults was collected March 18-19 Source: American Psychiatric Association

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