Paid Sponsorship by Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
There is a widely recognized shortage of mental health services for youth both nationally and in Ohio. For instance, Ohio has only 13 child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAP) per 100,000 children, which falls far below the number necessary to adequately address the mental health needs of Ohio’s 2.6 million youth. The consequences of this shortage are severe, with many youth receiving no treatment or experiencing prolonged waiting periods for treatment, leading to negative impacts on their health and well-being.
Gaps in treatment access has been exacerbated by the recent increase in mental illness among youth nationwide. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that one in five children had a mental disorder, but only about 20% of those children received care from a mental health provider. The pandemic intensified this crisis with increases in emergency department visits for mental health emergencies and suicide attempts. Additionally, racially and ethnically diverse youth were disproportionately affected.
Primary care physicians who provide care to pediatric patients are increasingly being called upon to fill gaps in the mental health treatment system by screening for and managing children’s mental health conditions. However, pediatric primary care physicians have limited training in evidence-based care for mental health conditions and clinicians struggle to obtain advice and services for children’s mental health needs. Most clinic settings could benefit from help to guide their efforts.
In the fall of 2023, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) received a grant to launch a Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program (PMHCA) across Ohio to address youth mental health needs in our state.
The Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) is hosting three virtual town halls to gather important feedback from child serving professionals, organization, families, and youth to give input and vital feedback for this program. Each town hall will be hosted by an adolescent health expert and a pediatric primary care expert from each region.
- Southeast Ohio – Sunday, May 2, Noon-1 p.m.
- Northwest Ohio – Thursday, May 9, Noon-1 p.m.
- Central Ohio/All regions – Saturday, May 13, 6-7 p.m.
Participants will be entered into a raffle to win gift cards for participating in the town hall.
Register today!