Children’s behavioral health needs on Cape Cod are growing, but nearby behavioral health providers are in short supply.
That’s according to a new report commissioned by the Barnstable County Department of Human Services.
Using ARPA funds, the county tapped the Boston-based non-profit Health Resources in Action to conduct a needs assessment, which started in June 2023.
Director of Health Resources in Action Lisa Arsenault presented the results to the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners in a recent meeting.
“These are the issues that rose to the top: anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD, school refusal/absenteeism, eating disorders, substance use, suicidality and self-harm,” she said.
These issues are on the rise, but the number of behavioral health providers for children on Cape Cod are not.
Arsenault read a quote from a caregiver of a child who needed behavioral health services, but ran into trouble with finding a nearby provider.
“‘I just got a call for a neuro-psych evaluation, and we are an established patient. They said it's a two- to three-year wait. We now have one in North Reading,’” she read, then added her own comment. “You know how far North Reading is. This was not an unusual comment or an unusual finding, in these types of waits and challenges.”
At the commissioners’ meeting, Arsenault listed the types of behavioral health services that are most needed on Cape Cod:
“Counseling services, psychiatric services such as medication management, psych evaluations, day treatment or intensive outpatient programs, therapeutic interventions, inpatient psych hospitalizations, crisis response and early intervention services,” she said.
The report also included a series of recommendations for how to improve behavioral health services for children on Cape Cod. The full report is available online.
