Baptist Memorial Health Care’s CONCERN Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is hosting a special virtual session to help community members cope with the stress and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent violent events in the Mid-South. Research shows traumatic events involving gun violence, domestic violence and crime can have long-term effects on adults and children, and they can cause both behavioral health and chronic physical health conditions. For example, substance use, mental health conditions and other risky behaviors have been linked with traumatic experiences.
Understanding the effects of trauma and learning how to cope with it is key to addressing and preventing challenges in relationships, careers and other aspects of life. This 30-minute virtual session, led by CONCERN EAP Director Melissa Wilkes Donahue and Assistant Director Dr. Tracey Johnson, will help the community start the process of unpacking traumatic experiences and learning how to identify behavioral health issues, develop appropriate responses and connect with professional assistance when in distress. The CONCERN team will spend 15 minutes at the end of the 30-minute session addressing questions submitted in advance.
Join the virtual event on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. on @baptistonline’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BaptistOnline. Email your questions to community.involvement@bmhcc.org by Monday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m.
