To be sure, North Carolina is facing a pediatric mental health crisis. This is shown by the following.
1 in 5 NC high school students has reported seriously considering attempting suicide. Most children in North Carolina with depression do not receive needed treatment.
NC faces significant workforce challenges: More than 60 counties in NC do not have a child psychiatrist. Over a third of children received medications from providers without any pediatric experience or training.
Across NC, marginalized communities face significant barriers to mental health care. Youth who experience higher rates of discrimination have less access to appropriate care.
How NC-PAL Advances Behavioral Health
NC-PAL provides real-time support to health care providers across NC. Our team of behavioral health experts are a phone call away with the NC-PAL telephone consultation line.
NC-PAL hosts mental health training for providers. Training offerings include an intensive six-month CME course, webinars, recorded training, and individualized practice presentations.
NC-PAL programs are expanding to address mental health in new ways. New programs focus on the needs of unique populations including young children, youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and youth in foster care and school settings.
NC-PAL is a statewide collaboration. Our team includes pediatricians, psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, social workers, and other staff from organizations across NC.
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As part of NC-PAL's fifth-anniversary celebration, we're producing a series of posts covering where we are, what we've done, and where we're going.