WATCH: Why children are living in hospital emergency departments in WA | The Seattle Times

WATCH: Across Washington, hospital staff are reporting that children in need of long-term psychiatric care are living in pediatric emergency rooms for days or weeks because there is nowhere else …

Q&A panel facilitated by the Seattle Times:

In a concerning and growing trend, kids in Washington are living in pediatric emergency rooms because they’re in need of psychiatric care but there is nowhere else for them to go.

There aren’t enough specialized inpatient beds to care for them. Instead they wait, often kept in small rooms with little to do and no ability to go outside. ERs generally don’t have the staff, training or physical safety precautions in place to treat these children’s long-term mental health concerns.

On Wednesday, April 6, at 1 p.m., reporter Hannah Furfaro spoke with Jamie Kautz, the assistant vice president of pediatric care continuum at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, about this issue, reported by The Seattle Times in February. This conversation provides background and context around how the system for treating kids with critical mental health needs became so fragile, and share tips and resources for families.

Join The Seattle Times in conversation with reporter Hannah Furfaro and Jamie Kautz, the assistant vice president of pediatric care continuum at Mary Bridge hospital, about how the system for treating kids with critical mental health needs became so fragile and share tips and resources for families navigating the system.