Premium
APA asks Amazon's Bezos to allow psychologists to purchase PPE
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.32399
Subject(s) - government (linguistics) , workforce , health care , mental health , homeland security , personal protective equipment , private sector , nursing , public relations , psychology , public health , business , medicine , political science , covid-19 , psychiatry , law , philosophy , linguistics , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , terrorism
Psychologists caring for people with COVID‐19 are listed as essential workers by the federal government yet are unable to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) through Amazon Business, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA in turn has sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking that this oversight be corrected. “[C]linical psychologists work in all health care treatment settings, directing and delivering the provision of essential mental health services including psychotherapy, psychological and neuropsychological testing, and health behavior assessment and intervention services,” APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D., stated in a letter. “The work that psychologists do is critically important during the COVID‐19 public health emergency.” The letter notes that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued guidance in March to other government agencies and the private sector defining “essential infrastructure workers” during the COVID‐19 pandemic, to promote community and national resilience. The guidance lists psychologists as essential caregivers within the health care workforce, alongside nurses, physicians, infection control personnel and others. Additionally, Congress included clinical psychologists as eligible for assistance under the health care provider relief fund established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act enacted earlier this year.