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While so much attention has been paid to families juggling their responsibilities of childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, very little attention has been paid to the over 40 million unpaid caregivers of adults ages 65 and older in the United States. Among these caregivers almost half are supporting their own children while caring for their aging parents and nearly half of all caregivers who prov…

Many hospitals, healthcare systems and medical practices have already been in the process gradually rolling out telehealth services for their patients, and in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, telehealth services are now booming and are anticipated to skyrocket in the coming months and years.The question for you as a provider is less about whether you are ready to increase your telehealth offerings,…

According to a recent study, 67% of people reported higher levels of stress since the outbreak of COVID-19, and 42% reported a decline in their mental health. As a result, many have reported a decrease in productivity at work, saying they have difficulty concentrating, take longer to accomplish tasks, and so on. COVID-19 presents new and unique challenges, and for many, working from home has …

As leaders, how do we maintain trust and rapport with our team members when we need to keep our distance and can no longer connect with them face-to-face?This is a question and a challenge many business leaders are facing in these unprecedented times. Working from home has been part of many areas of America's workforce for decades. Nearly a quarter of the U.S. workforce work at home in some capaci…

During times of stress and panic, we often hear recommendations for self-care, finding calm, and taking care of our mind and our spirit. While the effects of these activities can be extremely beneficial, I want to take a step back to adjust your perspective. Rather than simply finding ways to avoid feeling anxious or depressed, I want to push you a little further to find moments of JOY throughout …

Global pandemics such as COVID-19, natural disasters, and many personal tragedies are out of our control - disrupting our lives and leaving us feeling anxious and helpless. However, we can endure and even grow through these crises by consciously strengthening our resilience. As humans, we all have seeds of resilience within us as part of our survival instinct. Activating these seeds takes an …

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 rises dramatically, even in places that seem isolated, many clinics are closing to patients with flu-like symptoms. In the Seattle area, we are seeing cancellation of surgeries, and big notes posted on clinic doors announcing their inability to see patients at all. Telehealth, or virtual care, may be your only and best bet at avoiding a trip to the Emer…

As you are all aware, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has emerged as a significant public health threat. Like many other companies, First Choice Health is monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of our workforce and ensure that we can serve our clients. We believe that our standard business continuity plans will allow us to meet our business obligations:FCH is already highly virtualized with over…

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is here in the United States and more people are getting sick, but the message remains the same: do not panic.  I'm reminded of the safety briefing on a plane "if the oxygen masks drop down and we lose altitude, put your mask on and stay calm."Not panicking is easier said than done for many of us.  In fact, it is completely normal to panic when there is…

Online therapy (also known as e-therapy, internet psychotherapy, distance therapy, etc) is becoming quite popular as of late, and an increasing number of people appreciate the features often associated with technology-based psychotherapy such as video or texting therapy. FCH EAP's online therapy partner, BetterHelp, has helped facilitate more than 41 MILLION therapy sessions online with one of the…