An Interview with Cara McNulty, DPA
Recently, I had a unique opportunity to correspond with Cara McNulty, DPA, President of Behavioral Health for Aetna, a CVS Health Company. I wanted to get her thoughts about how COVID-19 is worsening our mental health and to find out more about the role that CVS Health is playing in expanding mental health support and suicide prevention resources. Here’s our conversation.
DS: What have recent studies revealed about the impacts on mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic?
CM: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health system was difficult to navigate. So, for people – or their caregivers – with either a mental health condition or situational need, they had a hard time accessing care. That led to over 50 million adults in the U.S. living with a mental health condition, but less than half receiving services.
COVID-19 has deepened the crisis in several ways, many of which then snowball into other concerns. Approximately two thirds of adults are more stressed than before the pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to destabilize the economy, food insecurity and financial concerns remain prevalent.
And the pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in isolation due to stay-at-home orders, work-from-home orders, virtual school and physical distancing requirements. The winter months are limiting our time outside even more.
One study found that 65 percent of adults reported increased loneliness since the start of the pandemic. Any of these issues can lead to or exacerbate mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. Alcohol consumption is also on the rise.
The vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel, but this isolation, continued stress and fear from the virus are still with us for the time being. Last summer, the CDC reported nearly 1 in 4 young adults contemplated suicide. That is the most alarming stat of all, so we need to stay very attuned to the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and ensure we are connecting people in need to resources.
DS: From these studies, are there specific concerns around different age groups or other demographics?
CM: From the start of the pandemic, we’ve been very concerned about the mental wellbeing of health care and frontline workers (those who are in grocery stores, for example), given they are on the frontlines. Last year, we found that approximately half of health care workers reported that COVID-19 had reduced their sleep schedules, worsened their diet and had an overall negative impact on the state of their mental health. A quarter also reported an increased desire to drink alcohol or use illicit substances.
Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve become increasingly concerned about young adults. They are used to being around friends at school or on a campus, or socializing on the weekends. They were expecting graduations, sports, and other activities.
But over the last year, they have had to manage virtual school, or a model where suddenly their school is closed. They have had to worry about their own health or that of a family member. They have faced grief due to the unexpected loss of loved ones and loss of once-in-a-life events like a prom or graduation.
Our research found that about 70 percent of young adults are afraid of the pandemic’s effects on a friend or family member’s health, while 62 percent are worried about their own health and 65 percent are feeling increased isolation.
DS: Most people turn to CVS for their pharmacy needs. How is CVS hoping to play a role in mental health and suicide prevention resources?
CM: At CVS Health, we’re trying to use our vast resources to help manage specific mental health issues like COVID-19 and suicide, while also improving navigation and enhancing access for mental wellbeing overall.
At the start of the pandemic, we opened up our Resources For Living (RFL) program to everyone across the United States – whether or not they are an Aetna member. This was one avenue to help communities and front-line workers who may not have had access to mental health care, and ensure they could access real-time confidential phone support, counseling sessions and learning tools if they were having difficulties with the emotional impact of the pandemic.
For health care workers, we worked with the organization Give An Hour to provide free outpatient counseling for hospital-based employees in some of the most heavily impacted states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Late last year, we also launched a pilot program called Here 4 U, which provides much needed mental health resources and education to young adults.This program features free online peer support sessions led by qualified experts to increase social connectedness amid the pandemic, as well as free access to impactful mental health resources. This program is resuming in February.
On suicide, we are implementing a comprehensive approach to help prevent suicides for members, their families and our communities. Some examples include universal screening to identify members that would not traditionally flag for suicide risk but who may be actively or passively thinking about suicide, and safety planning for those who have had a suicide attempt.
We are focused on engaging practitioners, and have delivered suicide prevention training to CVS MinuteClinic personnel, and have also rolled out additional educational programs to improve suicide prevention and awareness among key populations.
Finally, we are conducting proactive outreach to members discharged from inpatient care with caring postcards, and we are working on predictive modeling to identify at-risk members.
And to help anyone with a mental health need – known or unknown – better understand mental health and how to access services, we are working to expand services in CVS locations, such as having licensed clinical social workers in place at certain locations. More to come soon on this.
DS: What role will CVS have in the distribution of the new COVID-19 vaccines?
CM: CVS is currently administering COVID-19 vaccines in long-term care facilities in 49 states. COVID-19 vaccines will eventually be available at all CVS Pharmacy locations throughout the country subject to product availability and prioritization of populations, which will be determined by states. These vaccines will be offered on an appointment-only basis via CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and via phone for people without online access.
Given the impact COVID-19 is having on our physical and mental health, these vaccines are truly our light at the end of the tunnel. I’m excited that CVS is playing such an active distribution role, and will help to alleviate the stress and anxiety so many are feeling right now.
About Cara McNulty
Cara McNulty, DPA is President of Aetna Behavioral Health, a leading provider of mental health and employee assistance program (EAP) solutions to members around the globe. She oversees a national team that spearheads the development of programs, products and capabilities designed to offer individuals easy access to quality, innovative treatments and meet people along their health care journey, while driving engagement and improving health outcomes through an easy and meaningful experience. She holds a doctorate in public administration from Hamline University, a Master of Science in applied health science from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in community health education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. You can connect with Cara via LinkedIn.
Thanks so much to Cara McNulty for sharing this important information. Before you go, please leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend.