Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
Where children go for mental health emergencies isn't random — it's tied to race, ethnicity, and insurance. A large national study found that Black and Hispanic kids are more likely to land in high-volume ERs, while Native American children are less likely to. Meanwhile, pediatric suicide-related ER visits surged 74% between 2016 and 2022, raising urgent equity concerns.
A new study analyzing over 5.3 million pediatric mental health-related emergency department (ED) visits between 2016 and 2022 reveals stark disparities in where children receive crisis care — and who gets access to higher-volume facilities. About half of all visits occurred at low- to medium-volume EDs, which may have fewer specialized behavioral health resources.
The findings show that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic children were significantly more likely to present at high-volume EDs compared to non-Hispanic White children, while Native American children were notably less likely to do so. Children with private insurance were also more likely to access high-volume facilities than those on Medicaid.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These disparities signal that not all children in crisis are reaching the same level of care — a critical gap as pediatric mental health emergencies continue to climb. Addressing these inequities is essential for ensuring every child gets timely, quality behavioral health support.
