Children's Hospital New Orleans and the LSU Health Foundation held the second annual “Let’s Talk About It” Pediatric Mental Health Summit on Aug. 4 at Children’s Hospital. The summit brought together more than 100 professionals in the education and behavioral health professions to discuss mental health issues affecting our youth, with a special focus on trauma and teen suicide.
“Young people and their families are battling a mental health crisis that’s widened and deepened over the past two years. Mental disorders are an enemy that’s very good at hiding in plain sight,” said John R. Nickens IV, president and chief executive officer at Children’s New Orleans. “Through our High5 challenge, we encourage kids to open up and talk about what’s going on. We hope the summit provided attendees with tools they can now bring back to their communities to encourage our youth to engage in real conversations about their mental health.”
The summit featured prominent speakers from Children’s New Orleans including Mark Kline, MD, physician in chief and chief medical officer at Children’s, who discussed the current state of child mental health in our country. Following the keynote address, attendees participated in a series of breakout sessions discussing:
-The realities of social media and child mental health
-Real talk: How to have conversations with kids about mental wellbeing
-Understanding trauma in young children
-School communities and mental health in a post-COVID world
This year’s event was geared toward any professional who works with kids, including teachers, social workers, community or youth-focused organizations, and healthcare professionals. Social workers had the opportunity to earn three professional CEU credits by attending the event.
One of the highlights of the Pediatric Mental Health Summit was the screening of My Ascension. My Ascension is a documentary film that focuses on the story of 16-year-old, Dutchtown High School varsity cheerleader Emma Benoit, who was paralyzed by a suicide attempt. Her attempt propelled her on a mission to use her painful experience to help others find hope and stay alive. Her journey is chronicled in the full-length feature film produced by award-winning producer, Greg Dicharry.
To learn more about the Behavioral Health Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, visit www.chnola.org/behavioralhealth. For more information on the film, My Ascension, visit www.myascension.us.