---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:strategies/Promote-public-policies-and-interventions-that-pri"
type: "GovLab policy strategy"
title: "Promote public policies and interventions that prioritize mental health services for healthcare workers and…"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/promote-public-policies-and-interventions-that-pri"
summary: "Promote public policies and interventions that prioritize mental health services for healthcare workers and frontline personnel"
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Promote public policies and interventions that prioritize mental health services for healthcare workers and…

Promote public policies and interventions that prioritize mental health services for healthcare workers and frontline personnel

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Healthcare Providers, Essential Workers, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Policy/Legislative/Regulatory, Communications
- Recommendation: [Government capacity and regulatory environment](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/government-capacity-and-regulatory-environment)
- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/)

## Actions governments should take

1. Develop, fund, and implement specific hotlines and telehealth services that provide expedited services for healthcare workers and frontline personnel.
2. Conduct studies and research that specifically consider the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of healthcare workers and essential workers.
3. Establish government programs to support the mental health needs of healthcare workers and essential workers, prioritizing them as a vulnerable or high risk group.
4. Encourage hospitals and healthcare organizations to conduct regular screenings for mental health problems in frontline and healthcare workers.
5. Train workers peer to identify burnout and offer informal support and counseling to their peers.
6. Encourage hospitals and healthcare organizations to provide mental health resource materials for their staff and offer training in stress management.

## Examples from around the world

1. To address the large numbers of healthcare workers suffering mental health disorders, [Penn Medicine](https://www.pennmedicine.org/) (Penn), in collaboration with UnitedHealth Group, created [COBALT](https://www.penncobalt.com/)— “a digital platform that offers immediate access to mental health support for health care workers during this critical time.” The system connects employees in need to mental health and wellness content, live groups, and individual virtual support all online. The platform employs targeted assessments to direct specific content to individuals presenting specific conditions and to triage users to specific types and modalities of support. The platform makes available resources including “resilience coaches, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists, as well as podcasts, articles, mindfulness sessions, and other group support.”