Stock image
IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has launched a COVID-19 crisis counseling hotline in response to increased mental health struggles during the pandemic.
The new COVID Help Now hotline will provide trained crisis counselors who can help callers grasp their situation and reaction to COVID-19, according to an IDHW news release. The responders will also provide coping skills to reduce stress and give emotional support.
“This was an identified need that Idahoans are suffering and they are being impacted by COVID-19,” IDHW spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr told EastIdahoNews.com. “The Division of Behavioral Health in the Department of Health and Welfare, and the Idaho Office of Emergency Management recognized that need and decided to work together to create COVID Help Now.”
Forbing-Orr said when people’s basic needs are not met, it makes other health and behavioral issues harder to manage. She also said food insecurity, homelessness, disability and other challenges are made worse as a result of the pandemic.
“It’s set up to help people deal with the stress of COVID and help access services if needed,” Forbing-Orr said. ” We all hope people will use this number.”
IDHW said the hotline is anonymous. The responders do not classify, label, or diagnose callers. The hotline also does not keep case records.
To reach the COVID Help Now hotline, Idahoans can reach out via phone or text. The line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Standard Time seven days a week. Responders can be reached by calling or texting (986)-867-1073 or calling toll-free (866)-947-5186. Callers can also leave a message during off-hours and will receive a call back the following day.
The IDHW plans to bring an online chat feature soon. More resources to help those struggling during the pandemic can visit the COVID Help Now webpage.
Source: eastidahonews.com
Idaho launches COVID-19 crisis counseling hotline
Published in Blackfoot, Coronavirus, Driggs, Idaho, Idaho Falls, Local, Pocatello, Rexburg, Rigby and St. Anthony
More from BlackfootMore posts in Blackfoot »
- Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease
- Well-known doctor killed in Bonneville County crash
- It’s a windy afternoon in eastern Idaho
- Wyoming man charged with kidnapping thought teenager was 18, court documents say
- A sweet new tradition: Blackfoot’s first Nutcracker takes the stage
More from CoronavirusMore posts in Coronavirus »
- Respiratory illness season begins to ramp up now. Here’s what’s already starting to hit
- Health board serving Canyon County votes to stop offering COVID-19 vaccine at its clinics
- Utah man sent to prison for selling over 120,000 fake COVID vaccine cards
- A new genetic analysis of animals in the Wuhan market in 2019 may help find COVID-19’s origin
- Children who suffered complications after COVID will not see recurrence after vaccine, study says
More from DriggsMore posts in Driggs »
- It’s a windy afternoon in eastern Idaho
- State of Idaho once again approves selling 160 acres of state land near the Tetons
- Coroner identifies man who died from injuries in Swan Valley motorcycle crash
- Task force to conduct Halloween DUI emphasis tonight
- Third documented tornado confirmed in Teton County
More from IdahoMore posts in Idaho »
- Calling Idaho’s next generation: National Civics Bee seeks young leaders in grades 6-8
- Idaho senator may recommend new law to prioritize children’s safety in child custody battles
- Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease
- AG issues warning about jury duty scams sweeping across Idaho
- ‘Most extreme crime’: Daughter, mother sentenced in Idaho campground murder
More from Idaho FallsMore posts in Idaho Falls »
- Calling Idaho’s next generation: National Civics Bee seeks young leaders in grades 6-8
- Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease
- Local downtown stores gear up for busy holiday weekend and Small Business Saturday
- Well-known doctor killed in Bonneville County crash
- Thanksgiving travelers, here’s what to expect on the roads this week
More from LocalMore posts in Local »
- Calling Idaho’s next generation: National Civics Bee seeks young leaders in grades 6-8
- Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease
- AG issues warning about jury duty scams sweeping across Idaho
- WATCH: Rexburg choirs partner with actor Kirby Heyborne for Christmas music video
- Idaho faces another lawsuit over Medicaid mental health cut
More from PocatelloMore posts in Pocatello »
- Escaped domestic elk in eastern Idaho tests negative for chronic wasting disease
- RUNOFF: Mark Dahlquist answers questions on the issues; Greg Cates doesn’t respond
- Thanksgiving travelers, here’s what to expect on the roads this week
- Here’s who is donating to Mark Dahlquist and Greg Cates in the Pocatello mayoral runoff
- It’s a windy afternoon in eastern Idaho
More from RexburgMore posts in Rexburg »
- WATCH: Rexburg choirs partner with actor Kirby Heyborne for Christmas music video
- Morel caps high school career with final massive performance, leading Rigby to promised land
- It’s a windy afternoon in eastern Idaho
- Dentist office hosting toy drive for children in need; donors can win a year of free dental work
- Giving Machine unveiled in Rexburg
More from RigbyMore posts in Rigby »
- Morel caps high school career with final massive performance, leading Rigby to promised land
- It’s a windy afternoon in eastern Idaho
- Dentist office hosting toy drive for children in need; donors can win a year of free dental work
- Show us your holiday lights in the Battle of the Bulbs contest
- 16-year-old dies after single-car crash near Grant
More from St. AnthonyMore posts in St. Anthony »
- It’s a windy afternoon in eastern Idaho
- Task force to conduct Halloween DUI emphasis tonight
- Judge enters not guilty pleas in Skylar Meade case
- The West’s power grid could be stitched together — if red and blue states buy in
- USDA won’t shuffle funds to extend SNAP during shutdown, in about-face from earlier plan
Be First to Comment