Children in Crisis

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Children in Crisis

• A Communitys Responsibility to Respond

Persharon M. Dixon, M.D., MBA Medical
Director Mississippi Gulf Coast Childrens Health
Project Coastal Family Health Center, Biloxi, MS
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Agenda

• Mental Health Facts of Children
• The Need
• Missed Care
• What are we seeing on the Coast
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Childrens Health Project
  Initiatives
• Other Services in the Community
• Call to Action

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Statistics

• One in five American children has a mental
  disorder
• About 5-9 of children ages 9 to 17 are affected
  by a serious emotional disturbance (SED)

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Racial Disparity

• Latino youths have the highest rate of suicide
• Latino youth less likely than others to be
  identified
• African American youths are more likely to be
  sent to the juvenile justice system

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Most Common Conditions

• Anxiety disorders
• Mood disorders (e.g. depression)
• Disruptive disorders

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Becoming More Common

• Self Mutilation
• Mixed Diagnoses

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Unmet Need

• 79 of children aged 6 to 17 with mental
  disorders do not receive mental health care
• Uninsured children have a higher rate of unmet
  need than children with public or private
  insurance

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All Children Affected

• More than just a problem for the uninsured
• Coverage gaps in private and public insurance

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Consequence of Untreated Mental Illness

• Increased risk of coming into contact with the
  juvenile justice system
• 66 of boys and
• almost 75 of girls
• In juvenile detention with least one mental
  disorder

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Obstacles to Care

• Stigma
• Parents feel they will be blamed
• Pride
• Disbelief
• Cost

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Results of Missed Care

• School failure
• Poor employment opportunities
• More likely to have disciplinary problems
• Drug Abuse
• Poor Choices (sex and drugs)
• Poverty in adulthood

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Optimal Solution for a Broken Healthcare
Infrastructure

• Affiliation with Coastal Family Health Center
• Permanent program December 2005
• Target low income children, adolescents and
  young adults (0-24y)

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Telepsychiatry Innovative Programming

• equipment installed on both ends
• University Medical Center Psychiatry Department
• 4hrs/week
• 6 months/ 26 new users

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Neighbors Keeper Grant
Teen Preventative Mental Health Initiative
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Community Resources

• Gulf Oaks
• Memorial Behavioral Health
• Youth Village
• IDTF
• National Institutes of Health

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Most Helpful Solutions

• Early intervention
• Prevention
• prevents more costly impatient treatment choice

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Recommendations

• Community-based mental health
• Early detection and intervention
• Parity in coverage with medical/surgical care for
  mental health services
• Mental health programs and outreach efforts
  should be tailored

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Quality Comprehensive Community Based Care
Office of Minority Health Healthy Babies
Teen Pregnancy Campaign
Dept. of Dental Health - PDA
Mental Health Summit
Head Start Programs
Hispanic Alliance HHOPE Grant
CDF/ MCAP/MAAP Advocacy
Telehealth/ Coastal