Chesapeake Health Care Opens New Mental Health Facility

SALISBURY, Md. - May 15, 2020 - PRLog -- As the pandemic continues to disrupt people's everyday lives, access to mental health services and emotional support has never been more critical. Chesapeake Health Care (CHC) continues to respond to the healthcare needs of the community with the opening of a new mental health office in Salisbury, Maryland.

  The mental health providers are adapting their traditional methods of treatment during the pandemic. The staff is screening all patients and visitors for COVID-19 upon entering the building and requiring everyone to wear a mask. They are also practicing social distancing in the waiting room as well as in the therapy sessions. "First and foremost, we want to ensure the health and safety of our clients as well as our staff," said Celeste Grudzien, LCSW-C, Mental Health Site Manager.

   In the past few years, CHC had already seen a steadily growing demand for therapy and counseling. With the pandemic causing unprecedented levels of stress and grief, CHC is now seeing a massive surge in clients seeking help.

   Grudzien admits that anxiety levels have increased across the board for everyone. "We're all living with some level of fear, whether it's worrying about the future of our jobs and our finances, or anxiety from watching the news. I want to let people know that they can reach out to us for help," she said.

 One of the positive outcomes during this pandemic is increased parental interactions and involvement using telehealth sessions. Telehealth has opened an opportunity for therapists to connect with the parents during, before, or after therapy sessions as the parents are available at home. "In working with children and their parents during this time, we are seeing an increased need for providing telehealth therapy, to offer support, parenting tips, emotional regulation, and anxiety-reducing coping skills to mention a few," said Grudzien. "It's also been positive for the child because the parents are now more involved in their child's therapy as well as their schoolwork."

 The impacts of this pandemic are not limited to the virus itself, which is one of the reasons why the opening of the new mental health office is so important right now. "We're also doing more proactively by reaching out to our most vulnerable clients, so they understand their options regarding how best to continue their treatment, including prescription refills," said Crystal Lambert, head of the Mental Health Department at Chesapeake Health Care.

    CHC's new mental health location on Healthway Drive in Salisbury is accepting new and current clients, and is open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, go to https://www.ChesapeakeHC.org.