Parents and families are seeing difficulties with accessing care, particularly when it comes to finding a provider who is accepting patients within a decent time frame for kids not in a crisis, as well as finding inpatient bed space for kids who are in a crisis.
Nearly 123 million Americans live in areas deemed to be a mental health professional shortage area, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, a federal agency, making it challenging to find care at all, let alone the right kind of care.
As part of our latest reporting in our Mental Health Matters project, one local mom, Sarah Lewis of Troy, told us it took months to get her daughter, who was later diagnosed with ADHD, in to see a specialist, which was needed before her school could set up an accommodations plan.
Schools may also offer free or low-cost resources, but local and federal COVID-19 funding will end at the beginning of next year. Some schools that have implemented mental health supports are worried about continued funding for those programs.
Please let us know what you think. Email me at samantha.wildow@coxinc.com or my colleague on the project, Eileen McClory, at eileen.mcclory@coxinc.com.