At many U.S. hospitals, children and teens are stuck in the emergency department for days or weeks because psychiatric beds are full. Massachusetts has a simple yet promising solution.
Early signs point to successAmong the 536 children and teens who've opted to try home-based counseling instead of psychiatric hospitalization in Massachusetts, 82% have not returned to an ER with a mental health concern. 92% have met their treatment goals, or were referred for additional treatment services once stabilized by the initial diversion service.
And then there's the cost: $8,522, on average, for the typical course of care. At Youth Villages, that's three 45-60 minute counseling sessions a week, in a patient's home or other community setting, for three months. The savings is significant. One study If state and local governments don't take the lead, hospitals need to vet possible community mental health partners, create new care agreements and figure out how to pay for home-based services. All this while hospitals are already overwhelmed by staffing shortages.
It's not clear what percentage of children and teens who go to a hospital ER for mental health care can be treated at home rather than in a psychiatric unit — home isn't always a safe place for a patient. But in other cases, home-based care can be the best option, says"Many of the mental health challenges that these children are facing are driven by factors in their natural environment: their school, their neighborhood, their peer system," says Stone.
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