| HELP IS NOT ON THE WAY – LET’S FIX THAT
Imagine a dentist telling a child they won’t treat a cavity until several of the kid’s teeth have fallen out. It would be absurd. Doctors treat ailments without hesitation – unless, sadly, a child’s ailment is mental stress or illness.
Because of barriers to mental healthcare, far too few kids get the help they need when they need it. Sixty percent of PA youth who die by suicide never got the help they needed that could have saved their lives. Not all kids require intense therapy; many need help to get through stressful situations before unhealthy responses become unhealthy patterns.
Take for instance, Axel, a fourth grader in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood who told Philadelphia City Council about feeling scared in his home because of seeing people using drugs and blood on his sidewalk more than once.
“One thing that helped me with this trauma is the counselors and therapists at my school, like Ms. Ariel and Ms. Padron. Ms. Ariel helps me breathe. She has sand that helps me calm down. She would talk with me once a week when I was in third grade. I used to get in fights, and once I was even suspended for three days for a big fight. I would like to keep meeting with Ms. Ariel, and I think all kids should have access to therapy in their schools if they need help with therapy.”
Axel’s experience is an excellent example of how Pennsylvania can take care of kids in or nearing crisis. He got the kind of care he needed when he needed it. Axel’s negative behavior didn’t escalate, he found trusted adults to lean on, and he learned early in his life how to manage his emotions even when he can’t control his environment.
Axel’s story may be unique to Kensington, but his despair is not. Children from rural and suburban communities report equal levels of depression and anxiety; it’s a statewide problem that must be fixed because our kids’ lives depend on it.
Fortunately, the 75+ organizations from 55 PA counties that make up the Strong Minds, Bright Futures partnership are bound and determined to fix the problem. Strong Minds, Bright Futures is traversing the state over the next several weeks to meet with communities from Erie to Indiana to Allegheny and more in between to talk about solutions.
The main solution is a change to the state’s Medicaid program, which just about half of Pennsylvania kids. Medicaid guidelines require children to have a formal diagnosis before getting access to mental healthcare, and they have a very narrow definition of who can provide care. That doesn’t make sense. Axel didn’t need a formal diagnosis or to go see a psychiatrist – he just needed a trusted and trained adult who saw he was struggling and offered sensible, affordable, and school-based mental health activities.
To paraphrase Ben Franklin, an ounce of intervention can be a life of cure. Learn about Strong Minds, Bright Futures and help in the fight to tear down barriers to health care for our kids. Contact them at info@strongmindspa.org.
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