"Our state, unfortunately, has terrible funding for this type of work."

After a nationwide increase in mental illness and suicide attempts, Nemours Children’s Health plans to improve access to mental health treatment by integrating it with primary care, an approach backed up by research.

At the moment, Nemours Children’s primary care pediatricians screen patients for mental health issues but refer them to another provider for treatment. Many kids never go to that follow-up appointment: Almost two-thirds of Florida youth with a major depression diagnosis don’t get treated, according to a 2021 analysis by Mental Health America.

Read more at the Orlando Sentinel