National Council Distributing Protective Masks to BH Providers

The National Council for Behavioral Health on Tuesday announced that it has begun distributing 2.3 surgical face masks to mental health and addiction treatment provider organizations that otherwise have struggled to acquire personal protective equipment for staff.

In April, the National Council released a study that showed 82.9% of its members said they did not have enough PPE to cover more than two months of operations. More than 1,000 of the Council’s 3,326 members placed orders for the protective masks, which Council is providing to members at cost.

“Healthcare and behavioral healthcare providers work side-by-side, but in so many cases behavioral health care workers are deprived of the PPE their colleagues are provided,” Sheppard Pratt chief operating officer Jeff Richardson, National Council’s board chair and vice president, said in a news release. “We would not expect half an army to go to war without necessary protection, but behavioral healthcare providers are expected to go to battle in this pandemic without the resources to keep them safe.”

National Council anticipates having a limited number of masks available for purchase by members after fulfilling its initial wave of orders, a spokesperson said, adding that the Council hopes to have a link for members to place orders on its online storefront later this week.