There is still a long road to recovery from COVID-19.
“The symptoms that seemed to stand out more than others were people feeling depressed or anxious or with a high level of anxiety,” explained Suzanne Grimmesey, Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness.
Last fall, 5,000 people participated in a survey conducted by Santa Barbara County on the impact of the pandemic.
“Speaking of handling problems on their own, our English-speaking participants were just under 40%, but our Spanish-speaking participants, almost 60% said they handled their problems on their own,” Grimmesey said.
According to the California Department of Public Health, 38% of California’s population is Latino, but this ethnic group made up 45% of all positive COVID-19 cases and 42% of deaths in California.
Beatriz Hosp is a promotion girl or trusted community messenger with the Santa Barbara County Network of Promoters.
Hosp said the main problems were that Latinos were unaware they were facing mental health issues and unwilling to accept them, and there are still lingering emotional side effects from going through the illness itself.
Hosp said he recently received a phone call from someone who was hospitalized due to COVID-19 in 2021 and is still having trouble sleeping.
Based on survey responses, the county is offering new bilingual mental health services thanks to a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the American Rescue Plan.
The organizations running the programs are Transitions Mental Health Association, CommUnify, Lompoc Valley Community Health Care Organization, Santa Barbara County Promotores Network, and Santa Barbara Response Network.
“We have walking groups, gardening groups, mental health services,” Grimmesey said.
Zumba classes are also available as group training.
Hosp said that on his walks, participants and promoters talk about topics ranging from emotional attachment to suicide.
Trainings in Psychological First Aid and Psychological Recovery are also an option.
“Helping people recover from a traumatic event is a lot like physical first aid. So if we fall and scrape ourselves, we don’t need to be rushed to the emergency room, but some first aid, band-aids, cleaning, that kind of thing can help get the person up and on the mend,” he explained. Grimmesey. “Psychological first aid is pretty much the same thing.”
Although there are scheduled trainings, companies and organizations can request a certification.
“Our goal is to create a resilient community,” added Grimmesey.
The services are listed in the county website. There is a calendar of activities, as well as flyers to register for training sessions and workshops.
Remember, if you are facing an emergency, you can call the national suicide and crisis hotline on 988.
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