PHOENIX - For the second year in a row, the Diocese of Phoenix used the liturgy and the Eucharist to honor and pray for the professionals, caregivers and clergy who serve those with mental health concerns, part of a growing effort to spotlight the once-misunderstood area of care. The Office of Mental Health Ministry invited professionals, social workers, counselor, pastoral caregivers and mental health ministers to Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, where Mass was celebrated Sunday in their honor.
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Lights placed as a memorial to COVID-19 victims surround the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Jan. 19. Some economists believe deaths tied to alcohol use, drug use and suicides have risen during the pandemic as the isolation felt by many has taken an emotional toll.
Karen Butcher s son Matthew struggled for years with an addiction to opioids. She s convinced the pandemic made it worse.
The restaurant in Scott County, Ky., where Matthew worked as a bartender closed before the pandemic, and soon other establishments, from restaurants to stores, followed suit as states imposed lockdowns. One day you re a bartender and you re serving people and having a great time at it, and then the next day the doors are closed, Butcher recalls. Then COVID hits. It was the perfect storm.
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Lights placed as a memorial to COVID-19 victims surround the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Jan. 19. Some economists believe deaths tied to alcohol use, drug use and suicides have risen during the pandemic as the isolation felt by many has taken an emotional toll. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Karen Butcher’s son Matthew struggled for years with an addiction to opioids. She’s convinced the pandemic made it worse.
The restaurant in Scott County, Ky., where Matthew worked as a bartender closed before the pandemic, and soon other establishments, from restaurants to stores, followed suit as states imposed lockdowns.
Originally published on January 26, 2021 11:43 am
Karen Butcher s son Matthew struggled for years with an addiction to opioids. She s convinced the pandemic made it worse.
The restaurant in Scott County, Ky., where Matthew worked as a bartender closed before the pandemic, and soon other establishments, from restaurants to stores, followed suit as states imposed lockdowns. One day you re a bartender and you re serving people and having a great time at it, and then the next day the doors are closed, Butcher recalls. Then COVID hits. It was the perfect storm.
Butcher says her son was increasingly isolated, just at a time when his unemployment checks were starting to come in.