Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1462389
36 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT 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 tackle in a longer-term investment. Q: So you're saying the workforce challenges for mental healthcare are not new? Can you discuss this in more detail? KL: Absolutely. is has been a problem for decades. I think the pandemic has really exacerbated children's mental health condi- tions, challenges and struggles. I think the need is higher now than it's ever been, and the workforce is exhausted and burned out and joining in on the great resignation. People are rethinking what's really important to them and to their families. So my job as the new mental healthcare leader here in Colorado is to really create roles that are so compelling and so meaningful and so sustaining that you're contributing a positive impact in a day- to-day way in children's lives; but also that we're transforming our system and you know how your contribution counts, so that it's just as compelling as leaving to work in a different industry, or in tele- health; or that you want to be part of this team because it's dynamic work, and it's work that won't happen anywhere else. 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 infra- structure 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 increased 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 roadmap 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 address- ing 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. Q: What would you say are some of the most common mental health issues you're seeing among children right now? KL: Many children are presenting at our emergency department with fairly severe presentations of depression due to isolation and severe anxiety — so much so that they can't attend school, or extracurricular activities or maintain friendships. I think we're seeing a lot of suicide attempts, self-injury, as well as substance use and alcohol use. Eating disorders also have been on the rise through the pandemic. en, certainly, kids who used to receive special-ed services and sup- port through their schools, a lot of them have been disrupted. So kids with disabilities, autism, intellectual challenges — many of them are struggling in the community due to disruptions in their services. We had a couple days here, just as an anecdote, where because of the omicron variant it was almost like a post-traumatic stress reaction for certain kids, especially in high school or younger. They've been so excited to be back at school and they've been craving just being kids. So with the omicron variant we saw the extra stress come back. Q: You're not the first person who says eating disorders are on the rise or have been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic. Do you know why that is? KL: I think this is a trend we've been seeing across the country. When I was in New York, we actually developed the eating disorders clinical pathway because of the volume we were seeing. We were partnering with other children's hospitals to understand why we were seeing this. Early in the pandemic, I think, when society was locked down, kids were at home and literally everybody was on their phones and comparing themselves to others via social media and not seeing people in-person. at mixed with the lack of control and uncertainty in their life made it just an unhealthy time. I think, for some kids, that [gave them a] sense of control around their eating and power, in a way, where they didn't have any in the rest of their lives. n Cleveland Clinic performed record 210 liver transplants in 2021 By Cailey Gleeson C leveland Clinic performed 1,039 organ trans- plants in 2021, up 18 percent from 2020, and a record 210 liver transplants, it said Feb. 14. "The growth of Cleveland Clinic's global transplant pro- grams comes from a shared mission and culture based on best practices, standardized processes, quality out- comes, innovation, and teamwork at each of our sites," stated Charles Miller, MD, Cleveland Clinic's enterprise director of transplantation. Cleveland Clinic's global organ transplant program also reached several milestones in 2021, including the liver transplant program in Ohio completing 210 liver transplants, the highest number in the history of the pro- gram, and its Abu Dhabi transplant center completing more than 100 transplants. n