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"Nearly 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 (21%) had ever been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition"
"Kids in crisis often end up waiting for days or weeks in emergency rooms. It's a practice called "boarding." And the Department of Public Health says "boarding" has increased by up to 400% over the last two years."
"There is a crisis affecting the delivery of behavioral health care to children in Massachusetts, and research shows that children and teens are likely to wait for longer periods of time than adults."
"Boarding occurs when a person presents in the Emergency Department (ED) requiring inpatient psychiatric care, but there are no appropriate psychiatric placements available. Patients are often stuck waiting for weeks, even months, in hospital EDs, in non-psychiatric medical units, or at home. There are many reasons children may experience boarding, but one of the most important is that the pediatric behavioral health system is overwhelmed by demand, resulting in delayed and inconsistent treatment."
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