Pediatric Mental Health Care in the Emergency Department Toolkit

The number of children seeking care for a mental health crisis in an emergency department (ED) is on the rise. With limited mental health services, hospitals in rural areas bear an excessive burden.

To address these issues, HRSA released a toolkit of literature references and tools that can be used by hospitals to support the creation of care pathways. Care pathways improve the identification and management of children and adolescents who present to the ED in a mental health crisis. The toolkit also contains a template designed to help hospitals establish a customized care pathway, with special acknowledgment given to the unique challenges that face rural communities.