Parent Survey Underscores Need for Mental Health Focus with Becki Hale, EdD, MA, RDH and Blair Williams, MPA, MBA, CPH

According to the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment parent survey conducted by Cook Children’s Center for Children’s Health, the mental health of children is top-of-mind for parents, particularly during the pandemic. Half of all children ages 6 to 17 living in Cook Children’s eight-county service area have a parent who is concerned that the pandemic will have a negative impact on both their child’s education and mental health, according to the survey. The survey revealed that parents need support, too. More than 30,000 children have a caregiver not coping “very well” or not “well at all” with the day-to-day demands of parenting, and 24% of children live with someone who has a mental illness, or is suicidal or depressed. Becki Hale, EdD, MA, RDH, and Blair Williams, MPA, MBA, CPH, with the Center for Children’s Health explain how they’re using these findings to tackle the mental health crisis in North Texas. Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.