‘Their Tank Is Empty’: Children’s Hospital Colorado Declares A State Of Emergency Over Kids’ Mental Health
Based on increased demand for behavioral health services over the past four months, Children's Hospital Colorado is declaring a pediatric mental health state of emergency.
David Brumbaugh, the chief medical officer for the hospital, said it's been unlike anything he's seen in his 20 years of practice.
"Our kids have run out of resilience," Brumbaugh said. "Their tank is empty. That's where we are right now as a system and it's impacting families across our metro area, across our state."
Jenna Glover, with the Pediatric Mental Health Institute in the hospital system, said the increase in behavioral health needs is due to the long-term effects of COVID-19-related stressors.
"Despite things getting better in terms of COVID, kids have dealt with chronic stress for the past year that has interrupted their development," Glover said. "Now kids are asked to be starting back into life again, they don't have the resources to do that, they're burnt out and they feel so behind they don't know how to catch up."
Glover said these feelings contribute to a sense of hopelessness, which is one predictor of suicidal ideation. She said she doesn't see this going away in the next year.
