At least 5,000 of the District’s poorest children are not receiving necessary mental health treatment, according to a study released Tuesday by an advocacy group that describes the city as in the throes of “a children’s mental health crisis.”
Even when parents seek out treatment for the children, the report stated, families must navigate a complex and inadequate social services system, often resulting in delayed and low-quality treatment. A lack of providers has led to lengthy waits for families who need immediate care. The region’s best providers have settled elsewhere in the area, where they can make more money, according to the second annual report by the Children’s Law Center, which attempts to assess how well the District is caring for the city’s 96,000 children insured by Medicaid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/mental-health-services-for-washingtons-poorest-kids-is-lacking-study-says/2014/05/05/2fe27174-d467-11e3-aae8-c2d44bd79778_story.html
Link to the 2014 Children’s Mental Health Report Card: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/mental-health-services-for-washingtons-poorest-kids-is-lacking-study-says/2014/05/05/2fe27174-d467-11e3-aae8-c2d44bd79778_story.html
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