SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) — The mental health crisis for children in Illinois will be addressed by streamlining and easing access to needed treatment and coordinating among six separate state agencies. Governor JB Pritzker made the announcement on Friday.
In nearly a year of work, this study examined the capacity and status of the Illinois response to youth behavioral health. It provides a pathway to help families understand mental illness first, making it easier for families to get the care they need without going through what Pritzker calls the “windy” path of different state agencies.
At a school in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, Pritzker said, “Government doesn’t work well between silos in one department and another. People feel they have territory they must defend.” As a matter of fact, our territory is all the children of Illinois.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly degraded the mental health of children across the country. According to a 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 44% of American children have had an episode of depression lasting at least her two weeks, and nearly half have considered suicide. bottom.
Lawmakers and supporters were impressed by the number of agencies working together.
“Think of a parent in crisis… we’re calling all of these agencies and trying to track it down,” said the Senate Public Health Committee, a West Chicago Democrat. Commissioner Karina Villa said, “All they want is to get the baby the help they need. Now they have a blueprint for how they can make that happen.” I did.”
This report is a technical, practical, and collaborative effort to bring together expertise among the Departments of Social Welfare, Children and Family Services, Juvenile Justice, Health Care and Family Services, Public Health, and State Boards of Education. Identifies legislative and other measures.
The report was authored by a team led by Dana Weiner, a Senior Policy Fellow on loan from the Chapin Hall Children’s Center at the University of Chicago.
“Families[should]experience is a great way to understand what their children are struggling with and access services to identify what might help them meet those challenges. It’s a simplified, centralized and clear way,” says Weiner.
Friday’s announcement marks the beginning of work to prepare a plan for execution, a report Pritzker expects by October. The governor’s 2024 budget proposal has his $22.8 million to complete the plan.
Murphysboro’s Terry Bryant, the Republican leader on the Senate Action and Mental Health Committee, said he was pleased the plan was underway, and said his main focus would be on health, especially in Illinois, where she lives. He added that the goal is to ensure adequate treatment space in the southern part of the state.
Bryant said he was recently called to help locate a 14-year-old boy from Arkansas. None were available, and the boy was admitted to the hospital emergency room for three weeks.
The report notes that 80,000 children under the age of 18 live in areas of the state without the necessary electrical outlets. Identify the calculations used to equitably distribute the required bed space.
Early recognition of mental health issues is also important, says Weiner. A 2021 study by the U.S. Surgeon General found, on average, that there was an 11-year gap between her being aware of a child’s potential mental health problem and the child receiving treatment. bottom. The report recommends extensive screening of young children that may signal future problems.
Similar to bedspace, the report recognizes that industry-wide worker shortages will have serious implications for mental health care programs. Incentives need to be provided both in the use of associate experts and aides to perform important tasks that do not require extensive training.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford Maywood said parents can understand the troubling signs that “children are often overlooked or neglected because they believe they can overcome them.” mentioned plans to help
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