• PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Phase 3 Funding Now open
  Learn more about phase 3 funding online, and make an application.
  
   
• PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Fund Information
   
  • As of this week, 351 donors have contributed $7,233,160.                                                                                                                     
  • List of PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED grant recipients
    
     
• County CARES Funding Update
  Pierce County CARES website – Latest information on funds distribution.

• The United Way of Pierce County is the main point of contact for all volunteering information in Pierce County. The County and State Emergency Operations Centers are linking to this resource.
   
  • If you have volunteer needs, please email Allison Loft at allisonl@uwpc.org. She will post them.
     
  • Those interested in volunteering can visit www.volunteerpiercecounty.org or call 2-1-1. 

Purpose

Bottom Line Up Front

• The COVID-19 pandemic is considered a ‘natural disaster’ and as such, this document is heavily informed by research on disaster recovery and response.
   
• The behavioral health impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak and related government actions have to- date caused a surge in behavioral health symptoms across the state, which is a trend likely to continue. This surge will present differently based on the stage of the pandemic, the effectiveness of the overall response effort, and the populations being impacted. A second or third pandemic wave will dramatically change this forecast, as outlined in the scenarios that follow. This forecast will be updated monthly to reflect changes in baseline data.
   
• Ongoing behavioral health impacts in Washington will likely be seen in phases, peaking around 6-9 months post initial-outbreak. This will likely coincide with a potential second wave of infections, in a pattern consistent with previous pandemics.

• In Washington, the highest risk of suicide will likely occur between October and December 2020. This is consistent with known cycles of disaster response patterns. Seasonal affective disorder exacerbates mental health challenges at that time of year due to increased hours of darkness and inclement weather, as does the occurrence of winter holidays, which are often an emotionally and financially difficult time of year for many people.
   

• Outreach and support strategies need to be tailored based on the current phase of the incident and the target population. Resources exist to inform outreach and support strategies. Additional resources to support these efforts are currently under development.
   
• Efforts should focus on activating/augmenting existing community supports to increase social connections, which reduces behavioral health symptoms, and encouraging active coping skills among target audiences.
   
• An eventual return to baseline levels of functioning for many people should occur around 12-14 months post- initial outbreak, assuming that the potential second wave of the pandemic is stabilized by that time, in terms of both social and economic disruptions, and a sense of the “new normal” is underway.
  
  
  
  
  Key Things to Know

What sort of impacts are we expecting?

• Approximately 650,000 Washingtonians were receiving treatment for behavioral health needs prior to the COVID19 outbreak.
   
• Approximately 700,000 Washingtonians have mental health concerns, but were NOT receiving services prior to the outbreak.
   
• Approximately 10% to 33% of individuals experience symptoms of acute stress (such as negative thoughts, sadness, intrusive dreams or memories, avoidance, insomnia or hypersomnia, headaches & stomach aches) within one month after the impact phase of a disaster or critical incident. In Washington, for the Puget Sound area specifically, that timeline begins mid-March 2020.
   
• While Only 4% to 6% of people typically develop symptoms of PTSD after a disaster (equivalent to 380,000 individuals in Washington), this number can vary quite a bit depending on the type of disaster, and is often higher amongst first responders and medical personnel if the disaster is more chronic, widespread, children are hurt or injured, and burnout is likely.
   
• Rates of PTSD have been much higher (10-35%) in some places more directly impacted by a critical incident. We are anticipating that although rates of PTSD may not reach such critical levels in Washington State, rates of depression are likely to be much higher (perhaps 30-60% of the general population, which is equivalent to 2.25 million to 4.5 million people in Washington State) due to the chronic and ongoing social and economic disruption in people’s lives as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a much higher rate than is typical after a ‘natural disaster’ where there is a single impact point in time.
   
• For Washington State, where mortality rates are so strongly related to nursing homes, and the vast majority of people in the general population have not been directly threatened by the illness itself, behavioral health concerns are much more anchored in changes in lifestyle, fears about the unknown, financial worries, loss of income or livelihood, and loss of connection with others.
   
• Impact of Unemployment: Suicide rates are highly influenced by unemployment rates.  For every percentage point increase in unemployment rates (i.e., 1%), there is a 1.6% increase in suicide rates. In Washington, approximately 1,283 people die from suicide annually. If unemployment rates increase by 5% (rates similar to the Great Recession in the late 2000’s), that means we will see approximately 103 additional people die by suicide. If unemployment increases by 20% (rates similar to the Great Depression in the 1930’s), that’s approximately 412 additional people who will die by suicide in Washington.
   
• Approximately half of the individuals who experience a behavioral health diagnosis will develop a substance-related disorder, and vice versa. As a result, we can expect substance-related symptoms and disorders to increase as behavioral health symptoms and disorders increase.
   
• During disasters, individuals may have difficulty accessing their prescribed medication, which could lead them to seek alternatives. Relatedly, quarantine policies mean that peer support groups for both substance-related disorders and behavioral health disorders are inaccessible via traditional means.
  • Healthcare providers should anticipate an increase in substance-use as a possible disaster reaction, and should suggest both healthy alternatives for coping, and sources of support.
     
• Based on population data for Washington, and known cycles of common psychological responses to disasters, we can reasonably expect that between TWO to THREE MILLION Washingtonians will experience behavioral health symptoms over the next three to six months. Symptoms of depression will likely be the most common, followed by anxiety and acute stress. These symptoms will likely be strong enough to cause significant distress or impairment for most people in this group.

How do we begin preparing?

• Behavioral health systems, providers, and public messaging teams should be mindful of the following strategies to maximize the impact of their efforts:
   
  • Primary efforts for the next 3-6 months should be focused on activating community supports to increase social connections (reducing behavioral health symptoms) and encouraging the development of ACTIVE coping skills amongst the general public to reduce symptoms of depression.
     
  • Communication about preparation necessary for multiple phases or waves of pandemic (the potential for additional school closures, social distancing measures, and restrictions in the fall) will help reduce acute behavioral health symptoms for people when a second wave occurs.
     
  • There should be a psychoeducational emphasis on the disaster response cycle so that people are informed about what they may expect, and they do not pathologize a normal response to an abnormal situation.
     
• The typical response to disaster is RESILIENCE, rather than disorder. Resiliency can be increased by:
  • Focus on developing social CONNECTIONS big or small
  • Reorienting and developing a sense of PURPOSE
  • Becoming adaptive and psychologically FLEXIBLE
  • Focusing on HOPE
     

• Resilience is something that can be intentionally taught, practiced, and developed for people across all age groups.
   
• Community support groups, lay volunteers, law enforcement, first responders, and all manner of social organizations and clubs are resources that can be developed to help reduce behavioral health symptoms for the general population, and should be leveraged to take pressure off depleted or unavailable professional medical and therapeutic resources throughout 2020.

• between nonprofits and community service providers about who is providing help and what needs there are in Pierce County related to COVID-19.
   
• from the nonprofit sector to individual donors, foundations, and corporations about urgent funding needs to respond to COVID-19.
   
• from nonprofits and community service providers to government agencies about needs to provide effective and continued services in Pierce County during COVID-19 condition.
   
• with the philanthropic field about lessons and successes around addressing COVID-19 in Pierce County in an aligned way with the lowest burden possible on nonprofits and service providers.

OVERVIEW:
As the public health response to COVID-19 in Pierce County escalated Friday, March 13, 2020, United Way of Pierce County and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation partnered for an aligned philanthropic response to emerging community needs.

Together, they launched the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, seeded with $1,750,000 from GTCF. More than 275 individual donors and 50 philanthropic funding partners have joined the effort.

To support shared learning and aligned response efforts across community sectors, including funding partners to the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, nonprofits, municipal agencies, and community donors and volunteers, the Community Response Committee was established to provide real-time, on-the-ground information from providers about impacts and needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Community Response Committee is informed by the structure and protocols of an Incident Command Structure (ICS). ICS is used across the country by fire, FEMA, and other governmental organizations to streamline resources and communication during emergencies.

The Community Response Committee is organized by priority operational areas – called pods. Starting with Food, Housing, and Child Care for Essential Workers, the pods have expanded to include Behavioral Health and Thriving Communities. Further pods may be added as needed to support the community response to COVID-19.

The PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee will:

• Work in the best interest of the Pierce County community and its residents. 
• Facilitate sector collaboration and communication.
• Provide a central point of information and communication for the sector.
• Staff the philanthropy liaison position inside the Emergency Operations Centers to represent the sector with daily updates and information received from the pod leads.
• Provide Pierce County-specific guidance from pods to funders to help them make informed COVID-19 response funding decisions.
• Help advocate with government entities for resources and policy decisions.

• Extend its scope beyond the immediate COVID-19 public health crisis. 
• Take ownership or responsibility of the service provision.