(Katie Whitney/ Michigan Health) “People are calling me, saying, ‘I and my child have been in the ER for a couple of days now, waiting for a bed. My child is suicidal. We can’t go home … and I’m terrified. What do I do? How can you help?’” said Donna Martin, M.D., Ph.D., chair of pediatrics, the Ravitz Foundation Endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, and professor of human genetics.
“And that’s just wrong.”
The situation is severe. But it is not new.
“We were shouting from the rooftops, saying we are in crisis,” said Emily Fredericks, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the pediatric psychology division at Michigan Medicine. “There are not enough mental health providers to meet needs of children in our state. We knew we were in a dire situation. (…)