Photo By Lt. Col. Brandon Mace | U.S. Army Lt. Col. Adrian Johnson, a licensed clinical social worker with the 44th...... read more read more
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Among the ranks of unsung heroes in the military’s response to COVID-19 in the Northeast United States stands the behavioral health professionals focused on giving service members, patients and frontline workers the tools they need to strengthen their mental resilience.
The team in the Northeast at its largest was five Soldiers, since their mission began in early April. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Adrian Johnson, a licensed clinical social worker, with the 44th Medical Brigade headquartered in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, led the team to the hospital set up in the Javits Center in New York City, working with other behavioral health teams and professionals to serve the needs at the hospital.
“In New York we were serving doctors, nurses and staff, as well as the civilian patients in the hospital,” said Johnson. “Our mission was to enhance the overall mental and emotional heath of the population we are serving.”
The team worked at the hospital in the Javits Center for three weeks, helping anywhere they could. Another member of the team, Spc. Joshua Mabins, a behavioral health specialist also with the 44th Med Brigade, ran a hospitality room for the staff, a task not normally given to behavioral health, but it gave him an opportunity to help the staff de-stress and check in.
“It offered them the opportunity to take a step back from the fight,” said Mabins, “even if it was just for a few minutes, and focus on themselves. It was a way to reach out and say, ‘we are here for you.’”
Mabins says no matter where he operates, the goal is building resiliency before a crisis strikes. He says as people learn about themselves and how to manage their stress, they become better versions of themselves.
“We need to view mental health like physical fitness. Just like you work at being strong physically, mental health takes work too,” says Mabins. “That resilience puts tools in our toolboxes so we can check in with ourselves or help someone else in need.”
Every member of the team is focused on mental health every day. Johnson performs his duties daily at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and said while the core mission remains the same, day to day operations are always different because behavioral health is not one size fits all.
“Everyone is different and in New York we were working with civilians with COVID-19,” said Johnson. “They were in crisis seeing a lot of death and were separated from their families for treatment, so we engaged with therapy or techniques, whatever they needed to address their concerns.”
Behavioral health isn’t about lying on a couch talking about your feelings, it is about reorienting your body and mind so you can think and act clearly. Johnson says there is a connection between external stimuli, our minds, and our bodies, and we can learn to be active participants in that process.
“You see something, death, pain, sickness, and it sets off a nervous system response that changes your body, your heart rate, your breathing, your palms get sweaty, this is all involuntary,” said Johnson. “In that moment we can act with breathing techniques to calm the body, and focus on the positive things to bring clarity.”
Even though their tasks are complete at the Javits center, their mission isn’t over. The team moved from NYC to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, and immediately began the process of helping units redeploy. Mabins says the stress that exists during a mission doesn’t just go away when the mission ends.
“We can’t ignore ourselves, even once we are through with our missions,” said Mabins. “What you went through still matters and you need to reflect on it, and work through it.”
Some of these redeploying service members require a quarantine period. This could be because of exposure or they might have a family member at home with a compromised immune system, so they have chosen to quarantine. Either way, this team is continuing to provide them with the range of behavior health services. Mabins makes daily phone calls to check in.
“Our main goal is just to check on them and meet their needs,” said Mabins. “Even though this mission is over, we want them to know that someone is here, people still care, they weren’t left without someone thinking about them.”
As the team plans their own transition back home, they are reflecting on the mission and using the successes to strengthen their own resilience, and Johnson couldn’t be more proud of the team.
“I am proud I got to help to restore resiliency to the citizens of New York and New Jersey and our military service members,” said Johnson. “This team is the pinnacle of success. They answered the call. They came prepared to enhance the mental health of the people we served and the whole Nation.”
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2020 10:52 |
| Story ID: | 370708 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 420 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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