Children’s hospitals prod feds to boost mental health funding, workforce protections

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The Children’s Hospital Association has sent a letter to Congressional leaders highlighting what it sees as the top end-of-year priorities for children’s healthcare in the U.S., including increased mental health funding and workforce and coverage protections.

The letter was spurred in part by a flood of respiratory illnesses, mental health crises and other healthcare needs that have strained resources and capacity for the nation;s children’s hospitals, Mark Wietecha, CEO of CHA, said. 

He added that congressional action is “urgently needed” before the end of the year. 

“We have worked closely with key committees and a number of congressional offices on bipartisan, bicameral solutions to address this ongoing crisis through investments in Medicaid, boosting the pediatric behavioral health workforce and bolstering community-based and inpatient services and support, but there’s more to be done,” he said.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

One of the top priorities detailed in the letter concerns what CHA dubbed a mental health emergency. CHA recently marked the one-year anniversary of declaring a national state of emergency in child and adolescent mental health, and hospitals continue to see this firsthand in their emergency departments, the group said.

As the crisis continues, CHA saud there’s a need for federal Medicaid investment, support for the mental health workforce and community-based systems, and dedicated funding for the pediatric mental health infrastructure.

Workforce concerns also topped the list of priorities. CHA highlighted the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education program (CHGME), which supports the training of more than half the nation’s pediatric physician workforce. CHA said it’s essential to the continued access for children to the much-needed pediatric specialists, including doctors to care for children in mental health crises, that treat complex pediatric medical conditions and respond to viral surges such as RSV.

Meanwhile, the group told congressional leaders that extending 12-month continuous eligibility for children is a critical step to reduce coverage gaps and ensure stable healthcare coverage for children in Medicaid and CHIP. Permanently authorizing CHIP, said CHA, would ensure stable coverage for millions of children and pregnant women.

THE LARGER TREND

Children’s mental health has received increased attention this year. In March, the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Office of Minority Health, said it would provide close to $35 million in funding toward strengthening and expanding mental health services and suicide prevention programs for children and young adults.

Of the total, $9.2 million comes from the American Rescue Plan.

Months later, as part of the Biden Administration’s Strategy to Address the National Mental Health Crisis, SAMSHA awarded $2 million in funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics to establish a National Center of Excellence on Social Media and Mental Wellness. The purpose of the center is to develop and disseminate information, guidance and training on the impact – including risks and benefits – that social media use has on children and young people, especially the risks to their mental health. It will also examine clinical and social interventions that can be used to prevent and mitigate the risks.

Private insurers are also getting in on the game. In July, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said it is joining forces with Headway, a mental health company that works with insurers to deliver behavioral healthcare, to address what it sees as a serious problem: A shortage of mental health professionals in the state.

BCBS said the partnership will make it easier for Blue Cross NC members to quickly access in-network therapists and psychiatrists. In some cases, the wait would be no more than 48 hours.

ON THE RECORD

“It must be a national priority to safeguard our children’s future by ensuring they can receive the high-quality healthcare they need to grow and thrive,” said Wietecha. “Congress should take steps now to stem the ongoing crisis in children’s mental health, address the growing RSV surge, stabilize children’s coverage through Medicaid and CHIP and invest in the pediatric health care workforce across specialties and disciplines.”
 

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