Healio (7/7, Weldon) reported, “There was a ‘psychiatric boarding crisis’ in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, as psychiatric services were not prepared to support the number of youths needing care,” investigators concluded after cataloging “7,625 psychiatric emergency services encounters of patients aged four to 20 years who attended one of five mobile clinics operated by the Boston Emergency Services Team in Massachusetts.” The study suggested that “pediatric mental health services were not prepared for the number of youths needing care during the COVID-19 pandemic,” with “a lack of beds and staff” possibly having “contributed to the hardship.” The findings were published online July 6 in JAMA Network Open.
Related Links:
— “US had ‘psychiatric boarding crisis’ during COVID-19 pandemic,”Rose Weldon, Healio, July 7, 2023