We ask our community to help Mental Health for Heroes rally support for the medical community by bringing together mental health resources throughout Texas.

FORT WORTH, Texas (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

Patterson Law Group, a Texas-based personal injury law firm, is proud to announce a new partnership with Readiness Group, LLC. This partnership, Mental Health for Heroes, will provide quality crisis intervention and counseling services to Texas medical workers directly involved in the Covid-19 response.

“Both as a law firm and generally as a community, we owe a great debt to our healthcare workers,” says Travis Patterson, Managing Partner of Patterson Law Group. “What they are doing right now in response to this pandemic is the most heroic thing I’ve ever seen. They are doing whatever it takes to save the lives of complete strangers, even though it means often putting themselves and their own loved ones at risk. The mental toll all of it must have on them is staggering, but they somehow continue to put one foot in front of the other. If they need someone to work through this fight with (which is completely to be expected), it’s our mission to support them. It’s the least we can do for these heroes.”

The purpose behind this initiative is to nurture and build mental resiliency in the medical workers on the front line of the Texas Covid-19 response. The stress and fear that is being placed on these heroes and their families is yet to be fully realized. But, we cannot wait to act. We know it is immensely challenging to do a job in the face of fear, tragedy, and uncertainty. That is why we are stepping up to provide the mental health support and relief our healthcare heroes need to remain in action and at the top of their games. Our initial goal is crisis intervention, but we want to do more. We want to provide long-term solutions. To do so, we have designed a three (3) phase approach:

Current Phase (Free Initial Service):

Crisis Intervention: Initial donations will provide free Crisis Interventions and Resiliency Checks to healthcare professionals who are feeling overwhelmed by their role in the response to the Coronavirus – all done via HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms.

Future Phases (Cost-Effective Continuation of Care):

Recovery: As we gain momentum raising funds, donations will also go toward providing six (6) free therapy sessions for health care professionals screened through the Resiliency program and determined to be in need of further therapy.

Sustainability: Sustainability of mental healthcare for our medical community.

The initial crisis intervention calls (to be provided free of cost) will focus on trauma intervention, bringing chaos to calm, and developing a plan for moving forward. The recovery phase will offer traditional counseling and education components to keep the calm as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. The sustainability phase will provide long-term access to mental health providers to maintain the calm well after we beat the pandemic—through whatever else life throws at these heroes. The goal is for the Recovery and Sustainability phase services to be provided with minimal to no out-of-pocket costs to our heroes. We need donations to make this happen. All therapists will be Texas licensed clinicians trained in trauma response, the intervention process, and the medical culture.

We ask our community to help Mental Health for Heroes rally support for the medical community by bringing together mental health resources throughout Texas and making them readily available to our medical professionals. Please donate to our GoFundMe campaign. A $1,000 donation will provide twenty (20) crisis intervention sessions or ten (10) counseling sessions.

“Readiness Group is thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Patterson Law Group to rally the mental health community to support our local medical heroes,” says Dr. Brenda Tillman, LPC-S, Ph.D., Owner at Readiness Group, LLC. “We know that the support is out there and ready to respond. Mental Health for Heroes will consolidate these resources and make them readily available and affordable for Texas Medical Workers.”

Mental Health for Heroes, by and through its partners at the Readiness Group, is establishing a network of trained therapists to provide crisis intervention responses seven (7) days per week. Participating therapists will receive training on the culture of the medical community as well as how to carry out Crisis Intervention calls.

If you are an agency interested in providing support to this cause, please email us at hello@mentalhealthforheroes.org. Readiness Group will contact you to discuss your participation!

About Mental Health for Heroes: Mental Health for Heroes is an organization created to meet the mental health needs of the Texas healthcare heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight. Mental Health for Heroes will provide free crisis interventions for individuals who are feeling overwhelmed by their role in response to COVID-19. These calls will focus on trauma intervention, bringing chaos to calm, and developing a plan for moving forward. All therapists will be trained in trauma response, the intervention process, and the medical culture. Mental Health for Heroes is primarily funded through a GoFundMe-funded campaign. Mental Health for Heroes applied for expedited 501(c)(3) tax status on April 16, 2020. We are confident that status will be obtained, but make no guarantees. If granted, your donation should be treated as any other donation you make to a recognized 501(c)(3) organization. To read more about Mental Health for Heroes, please visit https://mentalhealthforheroes.org/.

About Patterson Law Group: Patterson Law Group has been representing Texans for their personal injury claims since 1995. They learned a long time ago the value of high-level mental health counseling for individuals who have been through trauma, as well as the value of partnerships with medical providers who only want what’s best for patients. To read more about Patterson Law Group and the legal services they provide, visit https://pattersonpersonalinjury.com/.

About Readiness Group: Readiness Group’s focus over the last twenty (20) years has been aligning with first responders, military, and medical organizations to build resilient communities. The fundamental purpose of these communities is to change the negative stigma associated with mental health and trauma response. By using a mind-body approach, the RG team educates individuals in the Science of Trauma and develops specific programs that foster a trauma-informed culture at the peer level. The primary mission of Readiness Group is developing communities that bring individuals, organizations, families, and resources together to build strength and resiliency. To read more about the Readiness Group mission, visit https://www.readinessgrp.com.

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Spokin and FEI team to help families with life-threatening allergies.

Many of us recently experienced the scare of not finding safe foods. I can’t imagine living with that fear every day. We have long admired the Food Equality Initiative (FEI) and the timing is perfect to launch Spokin Cares to help with the mission of FEI.Susie Hultquist, Founder + CEO of Spokin

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

Of the 60,000 food pantries in the United States, only four pantries meet the dietary needs of families with life-threatening allergies. Spokin, a platform and app that connects people managing food allergies to allergy-friendly resources like food, recipes, and local resources is helping solve food insecurity with the creation and launch of the Spokin Cares campaign.

This campaign will help accelerate the work of Food Equality Initiative (FEI), a nonprofit (501c3) founded to serve low-income families that must eliminate common foods from their diet to maintain health and wellness. To help serve families with allergies and celiac disease, FEI has created direct-to-client, no-contact deliveries for families using Knoq, a specialty delivery service and ships boxes of food to hungry families via the USPS.

The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing food insecurity by interrupting income, driving up food prices, and creating supply chain problems that result in shortages of medically necessary food. With these interruptions, FEI has seen an increase in those seeking assistance.

In less than 21 days, FEI had a 190% increase in clients receiving food. These numbers continue to increase each day. The Spokin Cares campaign will help scale the reach of FEI and provide medically necessary food to families in need.

There are three ways to provide safe meals to those with allergies facing food insecurity. People can donate online, ship food to FEI or shop with participating brands on the Spokin website. The food that is most in need is gluten-free flour, gluten-free pasta, non-dairy milk, egg-substitutes, and gluten-free cereal.

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TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

AdventHealth hospitals in the West Florida Division are now providing rapid testing using the Cepheid Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2 device for patients who are in our care and meet the evaluation criteria for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA gave emergency authorization for the device and its specialized cartridges to be used for rapid laboratory testing. The testing device, which is standard in all AdventHealth West Florida Division hospitals, can provide rapid detection of COVID-19 in approximately 45 minutes, improving the turnaround time on test results.

The new rapid testing will launch in two phases. Phase one will launch immediately at AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Ocala and AdventHealth Sebring hospitals. Phase two will launch with all remaining AdventHealth West Florida Division hospital locations by the end of April.

“AdventHealth is aggressively pursuing and implementing the best testing options available in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,” said Jose Tirado, Jr., Division Director of Laboratory Services, AdventHealth West Florida Division. “This new rapid test is an important tool, and advantage, for our physicians and providers who need expedited lab results in order to provide immediate treatment to patients and improve clinical outcomes.”

By implementing the new rapid testing, AdventHealth is helping to alleviate the burden on private labs that are inundated with COVID-19 test samples for processing. Last month, AdventHealth Tampa began in-house testing for patients who meet evaluation criteria for COVID-19 in Florida. Both the rapid testing and standard in-house testing can only be facilitated with a physician’s order for patients who meet the evaluation criteria as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where do I go if I want to be tested?

If you are sick and exhibiting symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), you should seek treatment with your primary care physician. Existing AdventHealth Medical Group patients can call DOC-2DAY to set up in-person or video visits with a physician. The public can also call the free AdventHealth Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-877-VIRUS-HQ ( Call1-877-847-8747) which is open 24/7.

*Please note: Currently, the public is not allowed to order their own COVID-19 test at an AdventHealth hospital, physician practice or Centra Care urgent care. The test must be ordered by a physician.

Q: I have questions about COVID-19 or AdventHealth’s testing capabilities, how can I learn more?

To ask general questions about COVID-19, get screened, find testing locations, or speak to a nurse, you can call the free AdventHealth Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-877-VIRUS-HQ ( Call1-877-847-8747) which is open 24/7. Learn more, take an online screening assessment or connect to a doctor video visit online at CoronavirusResourceHub.com.

Q: Can I get a coronavirus test at AdventHealth if I am not sick?

Not at this time. Currently all tests are designated for those who are exhibiting symptoms and meet the testing criteria.

Q: I have a fever and cough. Will I be automatically tested for COVID-19?

No. Fever and cough are common symptoms for other illnesses, including the flu. Physicians will evaluate your symptoms, travel history, potential for exposure and other factors and determine if a COVID-19 test is appropriate for you. They will also test you for other viruses, including the flu.

Q: How can I be tested?

A physician must order a COVID-19 test based on testing criteria guidelines.

Q: Does AdventHealth share test results with the Florida Department of Health?

Yes. AdventHealth shares COVID-19 test results with the Florida Department of Health as required by regulation.

About AdventHealth West Florida Division

The West Florida Division of AdventHealth has some of the nation’s brightest medical minds making lifesaving breakthroughs with surgical pioneers, scientists and researchers using leading edge technology and innovation to deliver our brand of whole-person care. Our network of care includes AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Connerton, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Lake Placid, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Ocala, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Wauchula, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, as well as five freestanding offsite Emergency Rooms including AdventHealth Brandon ER, AdventHealth Central Pasco ER, AdventHealth Palm Harbor ER, AdventHealth TimberRidge ER, and AdventHealth Westchase ER. We are more than hospitals, as we have a robust system of care including long-term acute care, over 200 primary care and specialty employed physicians, Express Care at Walgreens clinics, Centra Care urgent care centers, wound care, physical therapy, home care, mobile mammography and more. AdventHealth is a faith-based not-for-profit health care system with a mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ. AdventHealth has hundreds of care sites and nearly 50 hospitals across the United States. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth.

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L.C.S.W. Jenn Tomko giving away free online therapy sessions

COVID-19 is the equivalent of an emotional trauma for our entire country, and it’s affecting our daily lives. Clarity Health Solutions is offering free online group therapy sessions to help people connect. It gives a sense of community back to people who feel so isolated.

JUPITER, Fla. (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

With the peak of the coronavirus pandemic here, Jennifer Hoskins-Tomko, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) of Clarity Health Solutions in Jupiter is offering one-hour complimentary group therapy sessions to help people cope. Each session offered will have maximum of eight participants. Jennifer Hoskins-Tomko is a psychotherapist who specializes in trauma and anxiety therapy. She founded Clarity Health Solutions, a mental health practice, to help people get back on track and live out their full potential.

“COVID-19 is the equivalent of an emotional trauma for our entire country, and it’s affecting our daily lives,” Tomko said. “Group therapy sessions are a great way to connect with other people who are also feeling lonely or bored. Also, it gives a sense of community back to people who feel so isolated.”

Tomko will coach these free one-hour group therapy sessions teaching how to overcome those feelings of hopelessness, isolation and give tips on how to create mental clarity to get through this global pandemic.

Participants interested in the free sessions can contact: glexi@clarityhealthfl.com

Media is also welcome to cover by contacting: ariel@pantelidesPR.com

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