More than 1 in 10 emergency medical services encounters with children are for mental health issues.1

Of these children, 85% of them were between 12 and 17.2 In just the last few years, emergency rooms have seen record highs of pediatric patients coming in for mental health reasons, along with staggering numbers of suspected teen suicide attempts.

VMAP recognized that emergency department (ED) providers play a vital role in identifying and supporting the mental health of pediatric patients. In response, VMAP conducted a needs assessment and piloted 3 well-attended webinars for ED providers. Topics included:

  1. Pediatric Suicidality in the ED: When is it safe to discharge?
  2. Pediatric Aggression: Root Causes and Management in the ED
  3. Pediatric Psychosis Across Developmental Stages: Identifying, Treating and Managing

VMAP is continuing to explore how we can continue to serve the needs of ED providers working with pediatric populations and will include future opportunities here when they become available.

1 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acem.14833
2 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm?s_cid=mm6945a3_w