By Justin Goulet

Mental Health and COVID-19

Online tool available to help Albertans deal with mental health during pandemic

Apr 13, 2020 | 2:15 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – An online resource is now available for anyone struggling with their mental health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s called Owl Pod and is free to use.

“We do meetings with people across Alberta – from northern Alberta to southern Alberta, like in Lethbridge. People can get in to see someone as quickly as two to three days and have their first appointment within a week,” said Owl Pod’s Dr. Norry Kaler.

Kaler said they have had to close their Owl Pod clinics due to the pandemic and provincial regulations. However, they have shifted their delivery model to an online format, in order to continue accommodating Albertans in need.

He explained that residents can go to the website, owlpod.ca, register for free with their Alberta Health Card and be set up to speak with a doctor via video at their convenience.

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Kaler said Owl Pod has been around for four years, but they’ve ramped up services during the pandemic.

He explained that many people are dealing with financial issues as a result of the health crisis, which can in turn cause stress and anxiety.

“Anxiety is something that’s very hard to deal with alone. It shouldn’t be dealt with alone. That’s why we have this free service, for people to have someone to talk to,” he told Lethbridge News Now.

“When humans speak with other humans, they’re able to connect with them and actually help relieve stress. The biggest concern we’re facing is stress and anxiety, and then, when we don’t deal with those, things can get worse…we can then move into having depression and from depression, we can then have physical manifestations, which make people worried.”

He explained that stress can eventually lead to symptoms which may be taken for those of the novel coronavirus, when in fact the individual is really just dealing with stress.

“[We want] to prevent people from going to emergency rooms if they actually don’t have symptoms of coronavirus…we want them to be able to talk to someone if they’re just anxious and nervous. Sadly, anxiety and panic attacks can look a lot like some of the symptoms of coronavirus and we want to keep our health care professionals and all of us safe,” he said.

Kaler added that anyone interested in seeking help does not need a referral to use the services of the not-for-profit, and he’s asking fellow Albertans to spread the word about not just Owl Pod, but any other resources that are available.

“We want everyone to know that mental health is a major concern, and we need all Albertans to tell other Albertans about things like this,” he said.

“It’s just really important that people talk about their feelings during this time and not bottle [them] up and hold [them] in.”