U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently visited New Mexico and met with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to discuss the unseen impact of the pandemic on people in the form of mental health issues, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
During his trip, Murthy voiced his concern for the mental health impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the population, especially children and frontline workers. He suggested that more resources should be used to measure the effects, which could take years to be fully understood.
One of the main reasons for Murthy's visit was to attend an event at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe to honor eight health care officials, scientist and nurses from around the state for their role in the pandemic response. Murthy told the Albuquerque Journal that while he did want to thank those health workers for all they had done during the pandemic, he also wanted to remind the state about future "invisible" implications the pandemic will create, saying in the next phase of COVID-19 response, the focus will need to be on mental health.
“What we’ve been through collectively and individually is trauma,” Murthy said during the event, Albuquerque Journal reported. “I’m not sure we’ve seen the worst of it.”
Brett Kokinadis, former Republican U.S. House of Representatives candidate and Second Vice-Chair of the Santa Fe Republican Party, seemed to agree with Murthy's views, but also reminded that other groups should not be forgotten while jabbing at Grisham's leadership during pandemic.
"Yes, we need to support our 1st responders & health workers, but the anguish extends beyond them," Kokinadis wrote in a July 14 tweet. "Parents, students, teachers, business owners, employees, and citizens were all impacted by @govmlg. Let's not forget."
Other New Mexico officials have also voiced concerns when it comes to pandemic-related behavioral health crises that may present, since the state already has high rates of substance abuse and suicide, the Albuquerque Journal reported.