President & CEO, Ron Bunce, Speaks at PA Capitol

Leading up to National Mental Illness Awareness Week – which is observed the week of October 6^th and World Mental Health Day (October 10^th) – The Pennsylvania Psychological Association held a press conference at the Pennsylvania State Capitol building to raise awareness of the need for greater access to care for mental health services. CHOY President & CEO Ron Bunce spoke alongside other mental health professionals and The Honorable Dan Frankel, State Representative for the 23rd District, who is the prime sponsor of House Bill 1000.

The demand for psychiatric services has continued to increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with the decrease in stigma for seeking mental health treatment and the ongoing shortage of psychiatric and mental health professionals, this has created a larger problem in the industry. Organizations like Children’s Home of York are seeing increased complexity in the mental health needs of the children and youth we serve, requiring additional collaboration with mental health professionals to ensure they are receiving the care they need to heal and thrive. While Children’s Home of York relies on a network of resolute professionals to serve the children and youth in our care, the need far exceeds the capacity.

With this ongoing shortage of psychiatric providers, the children and youth within our foster care and group homes face long waiting lists to receive psychiatric services. The wait time presents concerns as our most vulnerable children and youth often go several months without psychiatric evaluation or between medication checks and frequently do not receive the oversight of care that, not only do they need, but deserve. For many of the children and youth that Children’s Home of York serves, access to psychiatric care is an immediate need. Without treatment, these clients cannot stabilize, heal, or move forward in their recovery.

Our child welfare system aims to serve our children and youth in their home community. As children and youth are continuously referred to practices outside of their community to have their mental health needs met, it places an excess of undue burden on an already taxed mental health care system. While Children’s Home of York is lucky to work with two dedicated psychiatrists who adjust to meet the needs of the children in our care and help provide a bridge to the services that our clients need consistently; we agree with the Pennsylvania Psychological Association that our children and youth deserve more than just temporary fixes. They deserve an expansion of care that would fully meet their unique needs and will prevent crises that would overburden the mental health care system further.

By expanding the prescription privileges as outlined in House Bill 1000, our children and youth would have increased access to services that they so desperately need. This increased access would provide more time with mental health professionals to consult on solutions that would support their continued growth and recovery. While House Bill 1000 would require significant funding to implement, the cost of delaying care for children and youth in need is much higher. At Children’s Home of York, we see the real impact of limited psychiatric access on vulnerable children every day. Expanding care options is a necessary first step to creating a more effective, and compassionate, mental health system for our state’s children and youth. 

For additional questions or media inquiries, please contact Kasey Lofties - Fundraising and Development Coordinator - at klofties@choyork.org or (717) 755-1033 x1243.