{"id":806699,"date":"2020-04-22T18:39:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T00:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=382127"},"modified":"2020-04-22T18:39:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T00:39:21","slug":"mental-health-crisis-unfolds-in-summit-county-as-pandemic-wreaks-havoc-on-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/mental-health-crisis-unfolds-in-summit-county-as-pandemic-wreaks-havoc-on-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental health crisis unfolds in Summit County as pandemic wreaks havoc on lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jennifer McAtamney, executive director of Building Hope, discusses mental health care in Summit County on Sept. 17.<\/strong>
Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

FRISCO \u2014 The coronavirus pandemic has swept across the High Country like wildfire fed by an ill wind, enveloping mountain towns and burning down a way of living that seems an almost distant memory since the virus first appeared in ski country.<\/p>\n

And while the potentially ravaging effects of COVID-19 on our physical health have been of paramount concern to government officials looking to avoid a catastrophic collapse of the public health system, concern is also mounting over the toll that social distancing requirements, wholesale changes to lifestyle and financial turmoil caused by the pandemic are taking on the mental health of millions of Americans trapped inside their homes.<\/p>\n

With the loss of jobs and canceling of group gatherings comes the loss of stability, cancellation of plans and delays in achieving dreams. Small businesses that had just found a footing are now seeing their foundations collapse<\/a>. School sports, graduation ceremonies and prom all have been canceled<\/a>. Industries that form the economic engine of Summit County \u2014 including snow sports, resort, restaurant, hospitality, live entertainment and tourism \u2014 have shut down, leaving thousands of people in an indefinite, anxiety-inducing financial limbo.<\/a><\/p>\n

For the elderly, there is a deadly risk associated with being around other people, even their own families, which means being shut in from the world for as long as the virus is loose. Households with working parents, many of whom lost their jobs, are struggling to avoid financial ruin while also taking care of their children at home with in-person school canceled. And while it is difficult for adults to comprehend the enormity of the problem, it is that much more incomprehensible and traumatizing for children.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

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