Even though pediatric emergency department visits in the U.S. have remained level over the past 10 years, visits for mental health disorders have risen 60% while children’s visits for deliberate self-harm increased 329%.
The 10-year study period involving children 5 to 17 years old showed rural settings are ill-equipped for pediatric emergencies, and only one-third of those facilities have children’s mental health policies or mental health transfer agreements in place, leading to expensive long-distance transfers, transportation costs and delays in care.
Source: Newswise, May 8, 2020