Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | December 2020

HEALTHY 6 IF YOUR STRESS becomes overwhelming, call your doctor. It’s also important to check with your provider if you find yourself using alcohol or drugs to cope. You can also call Beacon Health Options, the Alliance’s mental health provider, at 855-765-9700 for help. And remember, this trying time won’t last forever. social distancing. So try to focus on the good you are doing. Take a few deep breaths. When you feel worried or upset, take a few minutes to relax your body and mind. Get a move on—in your home or outside while social distancing. Exercise lowers stress and lifts your mood. Reach out. If you cannot be with loved ones, stay in touch with calls, video chats or social media. Staying connected (even virtually) is even more important right now. Keep a gratitude journal. Each day jot down a few words about what went well. When you examine your journal, it may help you find hope and positivity. The Alliance is committed to serving you better 1. Member health status and behaviors. 2. Health education and cultural and linguistic needs. 3. Health disparities. 4. Gaps in services. In planning for the 2020 PNA report, we looked at our 2019 Social distancing is one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Staying apart has saved lives. But progress toward reopening can be slow and have setbacks. As a result, many of us may have bouts of quarantine fatigue. This can cause: ● Increased irritability. ● Trouble sleeping. ● Eating more or less than usual. ● Feeling run-down. ● Experiencing a lack of motivation. To get through it, it helps to have some coping mechanisms. Hang in there If you’re feeling restless and weary, the American Psychological Association and other experts offer these tips to cope with the mental health effects of the pandemic and social isolation: Change your thinking. You are helping to control the pandemic by How to handle quarantine fatigue Group Needs Assessment (GNA), which was completed every five years. With the new DHCS requirement, the PNA will now replace the GNA. The goal of the PNA is to improve the health outcomes of our members and ensure that we are meeting the needs of our members by identifying: This year, the Alliance completed our first Population Needs Assessment (PNA) , a new yearly requirement with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). You may recall that the Alliance worked on a similar assessment, called the Limit the news. It is important to stay informed. But constant COVID-19 news can fuel your fears. You can turn to public health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for reliable updates ( cdc.gov ).