Safe Babies Safe Kids Task Force Program on Children and the Pandemic

Reports from  partners in education showed some concerns about how students weathered the pandemic. The meeting covered the COVID-19 impact in young people. Some of the concerns were adressed during the meeting and are listed below: 

• During the pandemic, schools were worried because they felt that they couldn't assess a student's well-being over zoom -- it just wasn't the same thing as being in person.  
• They worried about the students who were not zooming at all.
• Worrying about where those students were and what they were doing.
• Absentee rate was very high.
• Now that things are opening up, there is angst about everything happening all at once -- things have gone from quiet to chaos very quickly.
• The school administrators say that they are worried about the long time lapse for things.  Meaning, there is a lack of counselors for young folks who need to see a counselor -- waiting lists are long and it takes weeks to see providers. 
• Also, there is a lack of beds for kids in crisis.  I just heard this morning that one student who was in crisis and needed a bed waited at the ER for a week, only to be eventually sent home without ever going in-patient.
• Lack of resources is a real problem.

Speaker 

Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH, is associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Associate Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program of Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital. In addition, she provides clinical care to children, adolescents, and families in the Child Outpatient Clinic and continues to teach and supervise fellows, residents, and medical students.

Dr. Booth Watkins specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. Areas of particular interest and expertise are Anxiety Disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, student and college mental health, mental health within schools, diversity, inclusion, and suicide prevention. She has presented locally and nationally on topics related to anxiety, school refusal, parenting, diversity, inclusions, and physician wellness. Additionally, she has consulted to several mental health organizations and television shows.

Resources

Clay Center Content by Dr. Booth Watkins

 News Media

 Meeting Video