COVID-19 has taught our world a lot of lessons we didn’t know we needed to learn. One of the biggest ones is how little we take care of our mental health. Before being sheltered in place, we were out in the world, running toward every chance to be distracted. But at home, with no face-to-face human interactions; no breaking bread with family members; no hugging or laughing together…we all felt depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Maybe even abandonment, and especially loss when COVID took someone we knew and loved.

We cannot speak about health without tackling mental health. When we speak about access and equity to healthcare, that includes getting disenfranchised communities the resources they need to address their mental and emotional health.