by The Team at Spectrum Healthcare
We have been a leading whole-health provider in Prescott and Verde Valley for more than 65 years, offering integrated health care and outpatient counseling for families, couples and individuals.
During these unusual times, our mental health care services have been a beacon for so many in Yavapai County. Our five locations are open and seeing patients, but we also offer telehealth services for those uncomfortable or not able to meet providers in person.
“We know sometimes it’s hard to ask for help. These have been extraordinary times for all of us,” April Rhodes, CEO of Spectrum Healthcare, says. “We believe in acknowledging the many complex emotions, including fear and anxiety that this pandemic evokes.
“There’s some comfort in knowing that we’re in this together, but everyone has their own experience they are going through. Physical and social distancing, not gathering over the holidays and experiencing the loss of a loved one are all new emotions for us. We are being asked to alter our entire way of life and for many it’s mentally very difficult.”
How you respond to the pandemic can depend on your background, the things that make you different from others and your stress level.
But, no one is immune to feeling emotionally strained. Here are few tips to relieve some or your stress:
- Take breaks from watching, reading or listening to the news.
- Eat healthy meals.
- Take deep breaths and consider meditation.
- Exercise or take walks to get some air.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs.
- Connect with others; share what you are feeling.
To encourage openness in sharing, Rhodes also suggests the High Low Game in which you can share with family or friends the high and low parts of your day.
“Communication is a key part of mental well-being, even if it’s done virtually,” she says.
In addition to our primary care and behavioral health services, Spectrum Healthcare has The Spectrum Healthcare Mobile Crisis Team, an urgent response team aimed at addressing mental health issues as they arise in the community. The purpose of the team is to the give community members immediate support and care to resolve whatever issues they may be facing and to connect them with outpatient services such as counseling, psychiatry and primary care.
The crisis team partners with local first responders and hospitals to reduce stigma and incarceration.
“This service is helping to relieve pressure on our health care system by doing risk assessments and offering crisis counseling on the spot,” Rhodes says. “We’re available with staff 24/7/365. It’s an impressive organization that is helping those in need of urgent mental support throughout our communities.”
We can be reached in: Cottonwood, 8 E. Cottonwood St., and 651 W. Mingus Ave; Prescott, 3633 Crossings Drive, and 990 Willow Creek Road; and Camp Verde, 452 Finnie Flat Road. We can be reached at 928-778-0330, 928-634-2236 or online at www.spectrumhealthcare-group.com
