Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Pediatricians and child psychiatrists urge integrated, evidence-based school mental-health programs and pilots
Loading...
Summary
Health experts told the Senate commission that Puerto Rico is facing a pediatric mental-health crisis driven by disasters, demographic change and workforce shortages, and proposed teleconsultation pilots, HRSA-funded pediatric mental-health access programs and small school pilots like 'Destellos de Esperanza.'
Pediatric and psychiatric experts who testified at the commission's June 5 hearing described an island-wide pediatric mental-health challenge and offered concrete program ideas.
Dr. Gredia Huerta MontaF1ez (Academy of American Pediatrics, Puerto Rico chapter) and Dr. Karen MartEDnez GonzE1lez (child and adolescent psychiatry) told senators that available epidemiologic data are outdated and that workforce shortages are acute: Dr. MartEDnez said there are about 47 child and adolescent psychiatrists in Puerto Rico, and that only about 10 are accepting new patients. She also noted the extremely limited capacity for inpatient child psychiatric care.
"Solo tenemos seis camas de hospitalizaciF3n psiquiE1tricas para niF1os y adolescentes menores de doce aF1os," Dr. MartEDnez told the commission. Both panelists emphasized that early, evidence-based interventions can blunt long-term harm and outlined models that could be expanded: teleconsultation programs linking pediatricians and school psychologists to child psychiatrists, HRSA Pediatric Mental Health Access grants, and small school pilots with curricular modules (the "Destellos de Esperanza" program) focused on building resilience.
Panelists described coordinated efforts already underway: a telemedicine pilot on Culebra and collaboration with the School of Medicine of the Medical University of South Carolina on school-based studies. They urged the department and legislators to create a multidisciplinary advisory body to maintain continuity across administrations and to pursue federal funding opportunities.
The commission closed by thanking the witnesses and reiterating the department's obligation to supply the records and data requested earlier in the session. Witnesses said they would provide references and materials on the pilot programs and training curricula to the commission.
