Texas Children's Hospital and the Menninger Clinic, both in Houston, announced the beginning of a joint effort focused toward addressing youth mental health, which recent reports show is worsening nationwide.
In particular, the Texas Children's Hospital has seen an 800 percent increase in youth behavioral health needs since 2019, a Feb. 22 press release detailed. Its partnership with the Menninger Clinic, a renowned psychiatric hospital, creates a joint program that will "support additional pediatric patients needing the safety of inpatient hospital care as well as transitional out-patient treatment to support returning home and to school."
The partnership at first will focus on stabilizing patients 12 to 17 years old who suffer from depression, anxiety and suicidality. The adolescent stabilization service at Menninger will have 12 inpatient beds.
"This affiliation with Texas Children’s Hospital, which combines key strengths from each institution, is the kind of collaboration we need right now to help more adolescents and families in crisis in the Greater Houston community," Armando Colombo, president and CEO of the Menninger Clinic, said in a press statement.
The announcement of this comes just days after the CDC released updated data Feb. 13 that painted a concerning picture of youth mental health — detailing that persistent sadness and suicidal ideation increased for all genders, but particularly teenage girls. In light of the findings, the partnership between the two renowned health organizations will heavily focus on the "safe stabilization of adolescents suffering with depression, anxiety and suicidality."
"The behavioral health needs of our children are at a critical point. We expect those needs to grow and evolve as the full effect of the pandemic is revealed," Kirti Saxena, MD, chief of psychiatry at Texas Children's Hospital, said in a press statement.
Patients in the program will receive care from both Menninger and Texas Children's Hospital staff. It opens March 1 and will begin accepting Aetna members March 15. Other insurance will be accepted in the future, according to the press release. Outpatient support and therapy services will also be offered to patients as needed.