Health Matters: Improving Southwest Florida’s Mental Health

COVID-19 brought many changes to how we live, think, and feel. “Something as typical as going to the grocery store became a challenge. We all can empathize with the feelings of helplessness, of worry, of fear,” said Meaghan Palumbo, a business development officer with Park Royal Hospital.

Feelings health experts say can take a toll on our mental health. “We all, to a certain extent, experienced symptoms of mental illness and now we can normalize seeking help for those feelings,” said Palumbo. To help Southwest Florida better manage the behavioral health surge caused by the pandemic, health experts from 24 local organizations worked together to create a program called Healthy Minds.

“Healthy minds offers resources. A healthy minds questionnaire, that gauges where you are in related to depression, anxiety, and substance use, and we also offer a resiliency tool kit which gives you some tips and tricks for how to be resilient in getting through the pandemic, everything that we’re going through,” explained Lauren Walker, population health senior program manager with Lee Health.

The program also offers free virtual and in person, presentations to teach the community how to address and cope with mental health—while helping people get the services and support they need. “If you need resources or help, we are there to guide you. We’re there to connect with you. We don’t want you to feel alone. We want you to feel that there are a lot of people going through the same things that you’re feeling,” said Walker. Helping people address the fear, anxiety, and isolation caused by COVID-19.

View More Health Matters video segments at LeeHealth.org/Healthmatters/ Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health – Caring People. Inspiring Care. Visit LeeHealth.org

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