Children’s hospital leaders are currently facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them are the youth mental health crisis and large-scale staffing shortages that have drained hospitals of their most vital resources.
The pandemic may not have been the source of these problems, but its shockwave has exacerbated many of them to the point of urgency. Our actions, both today and in the future, are critical to creating lasting and effective change.
Just last year, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory highlighting the dire need to tackle the nation’s youth mental health crisis, with one in five children suffering from mental health problems. mental health disorders and 15 million children in need of mental health services. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in children aged 10 to 14 years. Many children have spent their formative years under the confines of the pandemic, not benefiting from the routines of social and educational life. This uncertainty and stress during the critical years of development has made them more susceptible to anxiety and depression.
As a result, more than 53% of parents are concerned about their children’s mental health; Children’s hospitals are overloaded with behavioral health cases entering emergency departments; and providers are finding it difficult to connect patients and families with resources that can support them through their longer-term care journey.
At Children’s Mercy Kansas City, we are addressing this crisis by accelerating a comprehensive behavioral health strategic plan. It includes resources dedicated to complementing the region’s primary care providers to fill gaps in psychiatric, behavioral and specialty services, and create massive capacity. to serve children in need of more complex mental health services. Children Mercy social workers have been included in local schools for crisis intervention, behavior support and advocacy. In addition, parents and carers have access to our “Get Ready and Get Ready” video series, which outlines steps to take before a crisis develops, including methods of preserving gun and drug safety as well as other suicide prevention resources. Together with the community and partner organizations, we are building a system of care that supports the strength and resilience of children and families.
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It also includes expanding the number of behavioral health providers in clinics to screen for eating disorders, anxiety and depression, and empowering teachers and doctors to Pediatric evidence-based skills can be implemented in the classroom or in medical practice to improve student well-being.
Of course, it’s not just our children’s mental health that is at risk. The pandemic has left us faced with continued burnout among clinicians, in addition to the ongoing staffing declines in our hospitals and health systems. According to a recent McKinsey study, burnout rates for nurses and doctors over the past two years have resulted in significant staffing shortages, with at least one-third of pediatricians experiencing symptoms. burnout and is predicted to be short of 200,000 to 450,000 nurses by 2025, according to a recent McKinsey study.
Further complicating the predicament of this workforce is the current surge in respiratory viruses, such as RSV in children, leading to a significant and sometimes unprecedented increase in the number of respiratory viruses. inpatients, long wait times in ED hospitals, and limited clinic appointments.
