COVID-19 Pre-conference Live Sessions

Three live concurrent sessions will be held on Tuesday, October 6 from 12-1pm EDT. These, along with others, will be available on-demand during the conference, under the Practice and Policy During a Global Pandemic track. View the schedule

Telehealth in the Time of COVID 19:  Policy, Process & Therapeutic Issues

• Moderator: Cynthia Handrup, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago (Introductions)
• Charles Yingling, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, Associate Dean for Practice and Community Partnerships, University of Illinois at Chicago (FQHCs practice issues)
• Mohsin Khan, MD, Pediatric Psychiatrist, Children's Health (Child practice issues)
• Allysa Ware, MSW, Program Manager, Family Voices (Child & family issues)
• Jill D. McLeigh, PhD, Director of Policy, Advocacy, & Research, Children's Health (Policy issues)

During COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders, the federal and state governments acted swiftly to enable the delivery of care via telehealth. Providers and patients have had to maneuver new and ever-evolving policies and technological landscapes. The benefits, difficulties, and inequalities of delivering mental health care within these guidelines soon became apparent. This moderated panel discussion will focus on the strengths and challenges of providing mental health care through virtual platforms, with a particular focus on underserved and marginalized patient populations.

Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic Through an Equity Lens: Lessons Learned from HIV

• Evelyn Tomaszewski, MSW, Professor and MSW Director, Department of Social Work, George Mason University
• Diana Rowan, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Professor and MSW Director, School of Social Work, UNCC

Similar to HIV, the emerging COVID-19 pandemic has a disproportionate impact on historically marginalized, underserved populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and older adults; with growing evidence that (like HIV) COVID-19 exploit socio-economic disparities. A facilitated dialog, drawing from transferable ‘Lessons Learned’ from 35+ years of HIV response, will look at opportunities and obligations of the provider community to advocate for and practice a human rights-based approach to meeting the challenges of COVID-19.