Good morning,
I wanted to take a moment to share a new report that we – along with dozens of partners – sent to District leaders earlier this week. It has been years in the making and offers concrete, actionable recommendations for how we can work together to transform the District's public behavioral health system into one that truly supports children and families.
The need for this work cannot be understated. Even before the pandemic, approximately 1 in 5 DC children – more than 20,000 – were reported to have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem. Additionally, 47% of DC’s children have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including being exposed to violence and living with family members with severe mental health or substance use disorders. The pandemic has only exacerbated many of those experiences and created new traumas.
With gratitude,
Judith Sandalow
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Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2021 2:38 PM
Subject: NEW REPORT: A Path Forward for the District’s Public Behavioral Health System
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The goal of A Path Forward is to make recommendations for transforming the District’s public behavioral health system for children into a system that provides adequate, high-quality services, and also prioritizes family-centered care, cultural humility, racial equity, and trauma-informed care throughout the continuum of care for children in the District.
A Path Forward offers actionable recommendations informed by best practices across the country, feedback and input from expert stakeholders across the District, and focus groups conducted with District youth and caregivers.
Beginning in 2017, Children’s Law Center, Children’s National Hospital, the District of Columbia Behavioral Health Association, Early Childhood Innovation Network, Health Alliance Network, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Parent Watch, and Total Family Care Coalition, came together as an informal coalition under the shared purpose to ensure District of Columbia’s children and families have a public behavioral health system that provides appropriate, equitable, and high-quality behavioral health supports and services needed for District children and families to thrive. Over the past four years, the coalition, with contributions from the Center for Community Resilience, the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, and SPACEs In Action, has published four papers, each focusing on different aspects of the current District behavioral health system.
Implementing this report’s recommendations is particularly critical considering that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) have declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, as well as the rare release of a new Surgeon General’s Advisory highlighting the nation’s youth mental health crisis.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Sincerely,
Children’s Law Center, Children’s National Hospital, District of Columbia Behavioral Health Association, Early Childhood Innovation Network, Health Alliance Network, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Parent Watch, and Total Family Care Coalition
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