Community mental health staff’s perspectives on telehealth for veterans with serious mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic increased tele-mental health use for those with serious mental illnesses (SMI), posing challenges to Veterans and staff. To understand reactions to this transition, a multiple methods project assessed staff reactions to the VA Connecticut’s transition to tele-mental health. Staff (N = 23) from two VHA community-based programs for SMI were interviewed about their own and Veterans’ reactions to the transition. Participants completed 16 Likert-type and 5 open-ended questions in virtual interviews. Quantitative responses were described with frequencies and analyzed using Welch’s two-sided t-test. Qualitative responses were thematically analyzed. Most participants understood how to use video modalities (82.6%), encouraged Veterans to use them (72.7%), and did not have security concerns (73.9%). A majority believed Veterans trusted video modalities (60.9%) but have difficulty using them (65.2%). Qualitative themes included: technological and logistical issues, attitudes toward telehealth, and knowledge and training. Despite telehealth-based treatment for Veterans with SMI presenting with some barriers (e.g., available technology, familiarity with telehealth platforms, troubleshooting), participants reported that they and their Veteran clients are accepting of this modality and that it may provide access to care for those who have been unable to access traditional community-based psychosocial rehabilitation services for SMI.