The COVID-19 Crisis: A Mental Health Perspective and Response Using Telemedicine

Abstract

With the outbreak of COVID-19, patients and providers were forced to isolate and become innovative in ways to continue exceptional patient care. The Cleveland Clinic went from mostly in-person medical appointments to all virtual/telemedicine care in about 2 weeks' time. In this piece, we show specifically the thought process and our conversion of the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Behavioral Medicine to ensure that our patients still receive exceptional care and patient experience. Additionally, we discuss the importance of innovating the training and supervision of postdoctoral trainees using telepsychology and virtual options.