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The new campaign of the National Nationwide Children & # 39; s Hospital aims to highlight children's mental illness, eliminate negative stereotypes, provide resources to families and raise funds for research and treatment.
The Nationwide Children's Hospital is launching an "On Our Sleeves" campaign Wednesday to erase the negative stereotypes associated with children's mental illness, provide resources to families and raise money for research on diagnoses and treatments.
The campaign, based on the notion that "kids do not hold their thoughts," begins with a new website and event at 8:30 am on the Nationwide Children's Downtown campus, followed by other events at Statehouse at 11:00. and Easton Town Center at 4pm
The campaign uses symbols such as a broken pencil, a faded flower and a storm cloud, but also a rainbow, a smiling face and the sun. The goal is to educate and guide people to places where they can find or give help.
"There is really no forum to talk about children's mental health so that people can participate positively," said Donna Teach, marketing and communications manager at Nationwide Children & # 39. ; s. "It was a problem that required a voice."
It is also worrying that people who want to be concerned about children's mental health issues do not know how, says Teach. People are comfortable contacting support networks for children with cancer or diabetes, for example, but they simply do not know how to impact mental health.
Melissa Wervey Arnold, executive director of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said such campaigns were needed to make children's mental health a priority, as families flooded children's rooms. Emergency because of lack of resources.
In an effort to bridge the gap, Arnold said, the academy trains pediatricians and family doctors to address certain issues, such as depression and anxiety, while turning to behavioral health recommendations for the most severe cases.
"One in five children in their community has a diagnosis of mental health, which is amazing for most people," she said. "What we also know, is that at any given time, 25% of teens will have positive screening for depression – these are pretty scary statistics."
Read more: Americans want more mental health services for children, survey finds
Teach expects Wednesday's three events to create a "collective thunderbolt" at the service of children's mental health issues.
The campaign material includes pins, temporary tattoos, stickers, t-shirts and cards with messages such as "I'm here for you" and "You're awesome". The materials also provide tips for starting conversations with youth and ways to promote mental health.
The effort comes as Nationwide Children's builds a nine-story pediatric mental health facility for treatment, research, education and training.
The Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion, scheduled to open in 2020, will be the largest Behavioral Health and Treatment Center for children in the country, on a pediatric medical campus. It will provide a psychiatric crisis center and an observation unit, a crisis stabilization unit, hospital and ambulatory care programs.
Read more: As the number of youth suicides increases, how can you help your children?
David Royer, President and CEO of the Alcohol, Drugs and Mental Health Council of Franklin County, said that "On Our Sleeves" is a continuation of the remarkable commitment made by Nationwide Children & # 39; s in favor of the well-being of the child.
"This campaign really touches on the key points:" How can we better educate ourselves about the mental health problem and the challenges young people face so that it is not stigmatized for them and their families? ", He said." It is really trying to educate and lift the veil. "
Teach said that almost half of mental illnesses started before the age of 14, but there is no national voice on the subject that appears, for example, to the strategy. "Go Red" from the American Heart Association on Heart Disease in Women or the Susan G. Komen Movement to Fight Breast Cancer. . Columbus, she said, has the opportunity to make her voice heard, not only locally, but by spreading a message about children's mental health needs beyond the region.
"Columbus occupies a truly unique position to be a national leader on this issue," said Teach. "We have such an infrastructure in place and what we create as a community is rather unprecedented."
To learn more about the On Our Sleeves campaign and events, visit https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/giving/on-our-sleeves.
@JoAnneViviano
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