In a statement submitted to the Senate Finance Committee for a hearing on protecting children’s mental health, the AHA urged Congress to lift the caps on physician residency positions and increase scholarships, loan forgiveness and other financial supports to encourage health care providers to specialize in behavioral health services.
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The AHA has joined the Children’s Hospital Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as a partner in Sound the Alarm for Kids, an initiative urging Congress to enact legislation and increase funding to better support mental health for children and teens.
In a letter to Representative Lauren Underwood, the AHA expresses support for the Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act.
Benjamin Van Voorhees, M.D., the University of Illinois Medical Center’s chief of general pediatrics, is teaching children coping skills through a combination of online learning and traditional counseling. He hopes a technology-based “behavioral vaccine” can reduce the risk of mental illness for a diverse group of young people, from teens struggling with issues of sexuality to those living in neighborhoods mired in violence.