The Emotional PPE Project Offers No Cost Therapy to US Healthcare Workers Impacted by COVID-19

BOSTON, June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Emotional PPE Project, a non-profit initiative created to connect healthcare workers with no cost therapy, recently launched to address the growing mental health needs of healthcare workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Over the last few months, some healthcare workers have described being in a war zone – with long hours, high exposure rates, and unfathomable sadness," said Ariel Brown, PhD, founder of The Emotional PPE Project. "Even before the pandemic hit, healthcare professionals had disproportionately high rates of mental distress, addiction, and suicide. With the added stress of the current crisis and mounting evidence that COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, we need to break down as many barriers as possible to offer healthcare workers access to professional support."

After a successful pilot at Massachusetts General Hospital, The Emotional PPE Project has expanded nationwide, mobilizing over 300 volunteer therapists in 40 states. The nonprofit's directory includes psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers, with specialties ranging from marriage counseling to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The project serves any individual affected by the COVID-19 crisis who is working in a healthcare-related field, including physicians, nurses, EMTs, assisted living managers, among others.

"Many healthcare professionals are uninsured or underinsured and are concerned there may be personal and professional consequences if they use employee-based services like employee assistance programs (EAPs)," says Brown. "Because the Emotional PPE Project is independent from any other institution, and all services are free, key barriers that may stop people from getting support have been removed."

About The Emotional PPE Project

The Emotional PPE Project (www.emotionalPPE.org) is an independent nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization formed to provide healthcare workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis a directory of volunteer mental health practitioners dedicated to providing no-cost therapy.

Visit emotionalPPE.org to learn how to:

• Get emotional support by contacting any of the volunteer mental health practitioners in The Emotional PPE Project directory
• Sign up as a licensed mental health provider to volunteer your services
• Support this grassroots mission of connecting healthcare workers with free mental health support by making a tax-deductible donation

SOURCE The Emotional PPE Project