{"id":512983,"date":"2021-07-14T09:30:07","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T13:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/hispanic-latino-communities-lead-telehealth-visits-for-mental-health-services-during-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2021-07-14T09:30:07","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T13:30:07","slug":"hispanic-latino-communities-lead-telehealth-visits-for-mental-health-services-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/hispanic-latino-communities-lead-telehealth-visits-for-mental-health-services-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Hispanic\/Latino Communities Lead Telehealth Visits for Mental Health Services During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hispanic\/Latino Communities Lead Telehealth Visits for Mental Health Services During COVID-19 <\/b><\/p>\n

While telehealth helped bridged some gaps, Anthem\u2019s State of the Nation\u2019s Mental Health data showed significant differences continued among communities of color <\/i><\/p>\n

INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE<\/a>)–
\nThe Hispanic\/Latino community was the most engaged in telehealth for mental health visits in 2020 \u2013 adopting the technology more than any other ethnic or racial group, according to a new analysis of Medicaid members in 14 states as part of an Anthem, Inc. State of the Nation\u2019s Mental Health<\/a> special report during National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\nTelehealth served as a silver lining during the pandemic and a strong alternative to seeing clinicians and counselors in person. Telehealth visits \u2013 either via video or phone \u2014 for people with an existing mental health condition significantly increased during the height of the pandemic. Visits that started in the single digits before COVID-19 accounted for 49 percent of all Medicaid mental health visits during a six-month period in 2020. Telehealth regulations lifted during COVID-19 have assisted in removing barriers people may have experienced in accessing telehealth.\n<\/p>\n

\nOverall gaps in getting mental health care between races and ethnic groups remained essentially the same before and during COVID. A higher percentage of Hispanic-Latinos were already receiving in-person or telehealth mental health visits before COVID-19. By greatly boosting the numbers of people using telehealth, COVID-19 may have jumpstarted broader adoption of telehealth for mental health conditions \u2013 especially with Hispanics\/Latinos. In fact, during COVID-19, almost 40 percent of Hispanic\/Latino members had a telehealth visit, while White members had 34 percent, Asian members had 33 percent and Black members had 28 percent.\n<\/p>\n

\nWhile telehealth did boost visits during COVID-19, it didn\u2019t make up for the dramatic drop in in-person visits for all races and ethnic groups. And there were significant differences among them. In fact, Black people had the lowest percent of combined telehealth and in-person visits \u2013 56 percent \u2013 before COVID-19 and remained the lowest with 49 percent after COVID-19.\n<\/p>\n

\nOn average, Black people had 7 percent fewer mental health visits compared to White people with similar demographic, clinical and socio-economic backgrounds. The rates are particularly noteworthy as surveys have indicated that people of color were experiencing more stress and mental health conditions than other populations in 2020 and people of color were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThere are likely many reasons behind the differences in mental health care visits \u2013 including issues that prevent people from seeking care, such as medical injustices and a history of receiving culturally insensitive care,\u201d said Anthem Chief Health Officer, Shantanu Agrawal, MD. \u201cHealth equity is a key driver for mental and physical well-being. To achieve equity in our healthcare, we need to understand where and why barriers to health exist, and then couple these insights with the scale and scope of Anthem to drive changes to a new system of health, that puts equity at the center.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHistorically, major depression and anxiety are underdiagnosed at rates of 32-40 percent less in Black and Hispanic\/Latino communities, according to the BCBS Health Index<\/a>. The American Psychological Association says that lower diagnosis rates are likely driven by lack of provider understanding of cultural differences, stigma around diagnosis or treatment and barriers getting care.\n<\/p>\n

\nFor Medicaid members with an existing mental health diagnosis, the most common telehealth diagnoses were anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, according to the special State of the Nation\u2019s Mental Health<\/a> report. High blood pressure was among the top five diagnoses for Black, Asian and Hispanic\/Latino people, while high cholesterol was a top five medical diagnosis for Hispanic\/Latino and Asian people. Opioid use disorder was one of the top five diagnoses for White people, while severe back pain was a top diagnosis for Black people. These data reinforce that mental health and physical health are connected and improving one can help the other.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhile telehealth wasn\u2019t a panacea in eliminating health equity gaps, it helped boost connectivity for all and made Internet visits possible when COVID temporarily closed physical doors, allowing health care to continue to be delivered with some semblance of normalcy,\u201d Agrawal said. \u201cThis study is a key reminder that technology alone won\u2019t be sufficient to bridge this gap and the bridge may not be the same for all people. However, it may be the connector needed by certain communities or geographic areas. Clearly, outcomes during the pandemic would have been much worse without telehealth.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nInterestingly, members used telehealth and in-person mental health services similarly whether they lived in an urban or rural area.\n<\/p>\n

\nAnthem will continue to evolve the following efforts to ensure that it can bridge the gaps for all people that take into consideration their specific needs. Some of these efforts include:\n<\/p>\n