Access line expands mental health services for children and teens in Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A statewide program expands mental health resources to children and teenagers.

The Pediatric Access Line, which launched in 2020, makes it easier for doctors to connect with mental health professionals.

“These are programs that serve to bridge the gap between the need for children’s mental health services, the fact that we have an acute shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists, physicians who specialize in mental and behavioral health problems,” Dr. Lisa Durette, a child psychiatrist at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV said.

PAL provides pediatricians and general practitioners with access to psychiatrists who review patient cases that deal with common things like depression and anxiety.

“Get their patient seen by our team of child and adolescent psychiatrists for a televideo evaluation in which we can provide diagnostic support, treatment planning, recommendations,” Dr. Durette said.

Nevada consistently ranks last for quality of mental health services, especially for youth. The state has 3 child psychiatrists per 100,000 and the national average is 14 per 100,000. It’s a problem that some pediatricians say has only gotten worse.

“The whole COVID experience generate quite a bit of anxiety in both the children and the rest of the family, we are also seeing developmental delays as a consequence of the isolation,” said Dr. David Saverese, an associate professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Pediatrics.

He says when an emotional issue is not being addressed it festers and gets worse.

“It comes out in dramatic fashion down the road and be serious as suicide or a violent event,” he said.

Since the program started, more than 1,800 consultations have been completed for Nevada families.

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