As the pandemic began, the numbers of calls to mental health facilities dropped, most likely from the fear of going into any kind of hospital as the virus raged. But that didn’t last.  Calls began to spike as people with serious mental health issues sought help for problems they already had, exacerbated by the newly-imposed isolation.  That left dedicated psychiatric hospitals searching for new ways to operate, finding the best ways to help patients while adhering to social distancing rules.  Dr. Timothy Sullivan is the Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for Staten Island University Hospital.  He joins In Focus to talk about how his hospital had to learn to serve those in great need in a whole new world.  He talks about their pivot to tele-psychiatry, which was not good for patients who couldn’t figure out how to use it, or relied on in-person therapies.  But it worked well for others who many not have wanted a face-to-face session, but found they could open up on the internet.  He also addresses reports that much-needed psychiatric beds were re-purposed as COVID beds, something he says didn’t happen at his hospital, but he did hear of it happening at other facilities.  He also talks about concerns that some people who needed help put it off, much like many put off physical exams because they didn’t want to go into a hospital or emergency room, and the effects they are seeing from that now.