SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The Biden administration launched a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention plan on Tuesday that addresses issues like substance use and other factors that affect one’s mental health. Today the Bipartisan Policy Center out of Washington D.C. partnered with the Helmsley Charitable Trust to visit Avera’s Behavioral Health Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Policymakers, mental health workers and some insurance companies gathered at Avera to discuss the current state of mental health in the community.
“I think we’ve seen more depression,” David Ermer, the clinical vice president of behavioral health at Avera said. “I do know that even before the pandemic, depression rates and even unfortunately, suicide rates were going up in the youth. So it’s a problem that was existing and getting worse. And then the pandemic just made it even more severe.”
Members of the BPC started a youth mental health and substance youth task force in January that looks at potential problems and solutions in rural areas.
Marilyn Serafini, the executive director of the health program for the BPC, says social media is one factor that is causing a decline in mental health.
“It is it is not well regulated. And we have a lot of challenges,” Serafini said. “This issue is bubbling up in Washington very quickly, and we think that there are great opportunities to take a hard look at what’s going on there and to focus on helping the youth. This was a problem before the pandemic, but the pandemic made everything worse for youth and isolated our youth.”
One area the BPC looks to work on includes more middle-ground facility options for patients.
“We’re seeing some new kinds of units called EmPATH units,” Serafini said. “They’re an alternative to the emergency room.”
Ermer says the topic of mental health impacts everyone.
“When we talk about mental health services, I do think it is a bipartisan issue and I do think you get support from everybody,” Ermer said.
BPC’s mental health task force has been touring other states this week around the midwest like Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska collecting feedback from other hospitals for their study. The BPC will then propose recommendations to members of Congress by January of next year.
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