Bridge Michigan published a series of articles the week of June 28 that examine Michigan’s mental health system for children and teens.
Shared in three installments, the pieces look at the strain on families, the boarding of children in the emergency department as they await treatment, and potential solutions.
The series includes Laura Appel, senior vice president, health policy & innovation, MHA, discussing the challenges that hospitals and health systems experience when providing behavioral health treatment to children and teens. Specifically, Appel discusses the constantly changing state pediatric psychiatric bed census, and legislation that would provide transformational funding to increase child inpatient psychiatric beds and to update emergency department facilities to mirror environmental features found in psychiatric facilities.
Part 1: Mental health crisis: Children at breaking point during COVID
Part 2: Emergency rooms confront ‘tidal wave of sadness’ among young patients
Part 3: A child mental-health fix takes early action, more help. Here are 7 ideas.