Amy Lerman, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, co-authored a white paper with Mantra Health, titled “Managing Continuity of Care During Winter Break Amid the Pandemic,” in conjunction with a webinar hosted by Mantra Health on November 10, 2020.
Following is an excerpt (see below to download the full version in PDF format):
The Problem
College and university protocols for managing the continuity of mental health care services provided to students, particularly during semester and summer breaks from classes, have been long established and followed by campus counseling centers and their clinicians. However, understanding how these protocols translate to the world of telehealth, particularly during the current COVID-19 public health pandemic, introduces a plethora of novel nuances.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique operational challenges to securing and ensuring students’ access to needed mental health services. These challenges include longer than usual breaks from classes, as well as regulatory considerations related to providing mental health services across state lines while still balancing the duty of care. Additionally, because many colleges and universities are closing campuses two to four weeks earlier than usual, many students who have already paid fees, but who may be out of state indefinitely, will experience a meaningful loss of school-sponsored resources on which they have come to rely.