Behavioral health is undergoing a broad awakening, with both leaders and the public increasingly seeing it as vital. The industry may fail to capture the full momentum of those tailwinds, however, if certain obstacles are not addressed.
Emily Snow, senior administrative director of behavioral health at Children's Mercy Kansas City, spoke with Becker's about a range of topics including the population subset that arguably needs the most help.
Editor's note: This response was lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What's something important you learned over the past few years?
Emily Snow: We need to make sure we educate and engage 18- to 34-year olds. They are coming out of the pandemic reporting the most behavioral health issues, and the most need for help right now.
The number two cause of death for ages 18 to 34 is suicide, second only to accidental injury. We tell people to wear bicycle helmets and seatbelts, but what do we do about behavioral health? It's kind of a quiet issue.
We don't always check in with our family members, friends or colleagues, and right now the ages of 18 to 34 are actually reaching out to us and saying to us, and that is a demographic we need to engage. They'll be running the world in a generation.