Absent Experts
Fewer than 1 in 4 emergency departments have a pediatric emergency physician on staff.
What happens when kids visit hospital emergency rooms for behavioral health concerns? Spoiler alert: The results aren’t pretty. This report spells out exactly how America’s emergency departments are failing young behavioral health patients — and outlines a 10-part, policy-driven prescription for change.
The number of pediatric behavioral health visits that emergency rooms are fielding at the time of this report has jumped 34% — from 565,000 to 756,000 — in just 6 years, according to the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Survey. Despite this increase, emergency departments across America aren’t properly equipped or staffed to care for kids and teens with behavioral health needs.