Page 28 - Healthcare News May/June 2022

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONT’D
because of negative stigma surrounding mental health, fewer therapeutic services, and the lack of access to quality health care. Severity of trauma, proximity, caregiver reactions, prior history, commu- nity and family factors (race, culture, ethnicity) also affect the care Black and Hispanic children receive, she said.
“The majority of our students here would identify as a Black or Brown person,” said DiStefano. “As
a white person, I think it’s our job as educators to proclaim, not on behalf of them, but with them, the discrimination that they have faced and will face. Square One’s job is to fill their bucket with so much that when they enter the world, they’re just far more ready than somebody else.”
A 2022 report issued by The American Psychologi- cal Association noted that one in five children had
a mental disorder, but only 20% of those children received care from a mental health provider. The National Assoc. of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends a ratio of one school psychologist to 500 students; current NASP data estimate a ratio of 1 per 1,211 students.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health services are harder to come by. A 2020 report from the UMass Boston and UMass Amherst found that students who needed access to school-based services the most, particularly those with lower socio- economic backgrounds, had lower rates of counsel- ors and psychologists in their school districts.
“We have to, as a society, acknowledge that these
humans are three, four, five years old; there’s time to learn all the academic things they need to learn — but they’re people first,” said DiStefano. “After they’re people, they can be students, they can be learners, they can be scientists, and inventors. But they’re people and humans first. And if we don’t serve them properly as humans, we’ve done them a disservice.”
2019 study, 1,840 children died of abuse and neglect. These statistics reveal the high level of trauma be- ing experienced by young people — and the need to
address this trauma at an early age.
Indeed, untreated trauma can affect the brain and
nervous system and increase health-risk behaviors, such as smoking, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Research shows that childhood-trauma
“Nationwide, more than two thirds of children survivors can be more likely to have long-term health
As needs changed right before our eyes, we’ve seen dramatic changes with our kids and their ability to manage their emotions, to be calm, to be emotionally literate. We teach all the kids in this building to do this at younger ages because they won’t forget how to control their bodies as they get older — it’s something that, once you know, you know. I’ve seen the kids, teachers, and parents benefit from it.”
reported at least one traumatic event (food inse- curity, poverty, homelessness, any form of abuse)
by age 16, and at least one in seven children has experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year — and this is likely an underestimate, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Every day, more than 1,000 youths are treated in emergency departments nationally for physical-assault-related injuries. In a
problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, or to die at an earlier age. It can also lead to increased use of health and mental health services, increased in- volvement with child welfare and the juvenile justice systems, and may cause difficulty establishing fulfill- ing relationships and maintaining employment.
Please see Square One, page 43
Healthcare Professionals Program
Caring for others can take a toll.
It’s time to care for yourself.
For current and former nurses, EMTs, dentists, LNAs/CNAs, technologists, therapists, social workers, and others.
Our remote clinical service helps you address your personal challenges among peers. In strict confidence, our highly skilled team offers specialized, evidence-based services
for those who struggle with:
l Depression
l Stress
l Anxiety
l SubstanceUseDisorder
To learn more, call 802-258-3737 or visit brattlebororetreat.org/hpp.
Get help now. Call 1-800-RETREAT or submit a pre-intake form online at brattlebororetreat.org/admissions.
MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION CARE
brattlebororetreat.org/hpp
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