Becker's Hospital Review

13 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP tion in the advancement of our children's mental health system with our state partners in creating this new behavioral health administra- tion, working with child welfare and the Education Department. It'll take all of our systems working in concert and investing in concert to really change the lives and trajectories for kids who have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic; increasing rates of depression, anxi- ety and suicide; and disruptions to learning. It's going to take all of us and I think those will be some of the big challenges and really getting aligned, and it will take coordination and investment. I think the workforce issue that I mentioned also poses a challenge. If I could magically wave a wand and staff all of the critical roles that we have available on our mental healthcare team, those direct-care staff as well as those working in the community, as well as our specific leadership program development, we'd be in a re- ally great space. But we don't have that pipeline where we have those programs that we've needed to really build a robust mental healthcare workforce for this country. ere's not been the same investments in mental healthcare, especially for kids, that we've seen on the physical health side. We have a couple of big challenges, I think, to really tack- le in a longer-term investment. Q: Do you think this is going to be a decades-long process in terms of building up an infrastructure that fosters solid mental healthcare throughout our country? How long do you think that will take? KL: I think this is going to be a decades-long process. In my career so far, I can tell you, 20 years in the mental health field, this moment is the moment. I have friends at the surgeon general's office and they put out a mental health report not too long ago. is is the point in which we need to pivot to see mental health as integral to the general health and well-being of our society, particularly investing in our children and in early intervention. We should have done the workforce diversification, the early intervention, the community partnership pieces decades ago to build the mental health infrastructure we need for kids. If we miss this opportunity, it won't be decades. It will be never. Q: What suggestions do you have for other hospitals and health systems that are perhaps overwhelmed by the in- creased prevalence of mental health disorders and don't know where to start when it comes to addressing it? KL: I really don't know any systems that are not sitting in the same boat that we are. ere are lots of ongoing conversations with leaders across these systems. You have to start where you have strengths and partners. You have to start where the most critical needs are in the system. In terms of planning a big transformation and road map for how we think about children's mental health, I think that's something that we all have to partner on to be able to do. ere are other health systems that are at different places in this evolution. We want to be partnering with folks in every type of setting, like rural communities and urban communities, in our Rocky Mountain region and across the country as well. We all have to start with our local partners and our local strengths in addressing the current challenges. But in this big reimagining of children's mental healthcare, I think it's going to take a group of leaders who are aligned to create a different vision for kids. n Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Legend, Successful Entrepreneur and Author, The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring George W. Bush 43rd President of the United States and Founder of the George W. Bush Presidential Center Michelle Wie Professional Golfer, LPGA October 4-7, 2022 // Navy Pier // Chicago, Illinois 7th Annual HEALTH IT + REVENUE CYCLE CONFERENCE

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