Welcome to CovidCONNECT, where those who have experienced COVID can find mental health resources, peer support, and personal stories of COVID and recovery.

The purpose of CovidCONNECT is to provide a resource for Maryland residents who have personal experience with COVID-19 – whether you have had the disease, or COVID impacted your life in other ways such as employment. Perhaps you nursed someone, or lost someone, who had COVID-19. Here you can read the personal experiences of Marylanders who have had Covid as well as those who have worked with COVID patients as contact tracers.

We wish you continued health and wellness, and thank you for your participation

Virtual Support Groups

Virtual support groups are available through CovidCONNECT. We encourage you to join a session to talk with other Marylanders who have had COVID-19. Trained peer facilitators host small groups on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. We will send an invitation with details and login information for those interested in connecting with others and talking about the challenges of recovering from COVID-19. If you have questions or requests about virtual support groups and related resources, please email mdh.covidconnect@maryland.gov.

If you are interested in joining a support group, fill out this interest form.

Next meeting: Thursday, June 9, 2022 (7-8:30pm)

CovidCONNECT Webinar Series

Join us every other Thursday for the CovidCONNECT Webinar Series. Developed in partnership with NAMI Maryland and other stakeholders, these presentations include speakers who cover topics on mental health, wellness and recovery. These webinars are curated specifically for Marylanders who have been impacted by COVID-19. Registration is required.

Webinars take place select Thursdays at 5 p.m.

Anxiety Post-Pandemic: Re-entry into a New World

MAY

Presenter: Grace Serafini

Summary: This presentation will review the development of anxiety felt by many during the course of the pandemic. The impact of increasing rates of anxiety and anxiety disorders in our communities will be examined with a focus on post-pandemic persistence of fear and avoidance behaviors. This webinar will provide an in-depth look into the challenges being faced by all during the transition back to “normal.”

Register Here

Coping With the Ongoing Grief and Losses of the Pandemic

JUNE

Presenter: Alex Chan

Summary: Participants will learn the six stages of grief, according to recent clinical research, three strategies for encouraging the post-loss meaning-making process, and begin to assemble a narrative of resilience to address pandemic-related grief. Alex Chan is the mental and behavioral health specialist for University of Maryland Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Program. He brings practical knowledge and experience in stress management, family relations, and adolescent development and has focused on enhancing mental health among youth, the farming community, and healthcare industry.

Register Here

Impact of COVID-19 on opioid use disorder and the need for involving families in treatment

JULY

Presenter: Dr. Kevin Wenzel and Luciana Lavorato

Summary: This presentation will cover the impacts of COVID on opioid use disorder (OUD) including an overview of use rates, overdoses, and treatment engagement over the last few years. Presenters will also discuss the need for family involvement in OUD treatment, which has amplified amid additional barriers to treatment attributed to the pandemic. This webinar will provide practical tools, ideas, and case examples of how to involve families and navigate practical logistics of balancing autonomy, confidentiality, and telehealth when working with families.

Register Here

Covid Experiences

Covid Research

Behavioral Health Resources

CovidLINK

MD Covid-19 Data Dashboard