According to a study published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine, people with anxiety and depression are more likely to report an increase in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the key health issues identified in Holy Family Memorial’s (HFM) 2020-2022 Community Health Needs Assessment is alcohol use or abuse. 
In February 2020, HFM supported the opening of CORE Treatment Services, a nonprofit, 16-bed residential and day-treatment AODA (alcohol and other drugs of abuse) facility, in the former convent on the HFM campus. While COVID greatly delayed the full opening of the facility, CORE did open and has begun to make a significant impact in the community. 
Knowing that the right support is integral to successfully navigating many concerns, HFM Behavioral Health created Coping with COVID. This series of videos was originally developed to help HFM employees cope with the stresses of COVID-19, but quickly became a resource for the community and local schools and businesses to guide people through coping with the unique situations related to COVID-19 instead of following negative alternatives. 
Because alcohol abuse is linked to suicides, HFM offered QPR—Question, Persuade, Respond—Suicide Awareness Training to its staff. The training provided participants to learn how to recognize the warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide, and how to help them.