The Power of Collective Action to Combat the Pediatric Mental Health Crisis

The reality of pediatric suicide is sobering, and we must recognize the profound impact collective action can have in combating this heartbreaking crisis. Each year, thousands of young lives are lost to the silent epidemic of suicide, leaving behind devastated families and communities. However, amid the darkness, there shines a beacon of hope: the power of unity.

By pooling resources, sharing knowledge and implementing evidence-based strategies with other communities, organizations and individuals, we can create a comprehensive support network that reaches every vulnerable child in need.

As the region’s pediatric health care leader, we are bringing new ideas, resources, partnerships and staffing to Children’s Nebraska. We are on a mission to help meet the growing pediatric mental health needs in our region – and, ultimately, to improve the life of every child.

I’m here to share insights behind this work and highlight ways we can stand united to address this crisis.?

Bringing mental health competency to the workforce

I believe getting leaders trained and confident in mental health first aid is critical, as well as having conversations related to mental health within the workforce. Leaders and team members must be equipped to have these conversations with children and teens, families and one another.

Being comfortable asking hard questions and supporting one another can have a positive domino effect. If you’re worried about someone, opening the conversation is huge – but having mental health competency can help us save lives. Our goal is to keep making it easier for our clinical teams to care for patients experiencing suicidal ideation, so they have the right screening tools and resources in place at the bedside.

Postvention is not often talked about but is an important part of the conversation, too. Postvention is an organized immediate, short-term and long-term response to promote healing in the aftermath of a suicide. Prevention is postvention.

No one wants to think that suicide would happen, but we do need to understand how to respond if it does, and postvention ensures employers and community members know best practices.?As we learn and grow as a community, we want people to know that our organization is committed to caring for anyone that’s experiencing a loss from suicide. We can help people get the support they need and, if they are experiencing suicidal ideation, help prevent them from acting in a tsunami moment by connecting them with *988, a mental health professional or support groups.

Are your teams prepared to step into action in a tsunami moment and, if not, how can you equip them?

Destigmatizing mental health with our words

Stigma and shame are still attached to experiencing a mental health condition, and it’s a huge barrier to ensuring families seek care. But we can change the culture by simply changing the conversation. Our words matter.

At Children’s, we are sharing language imperatives and helping team members reframe the conversation around mental health – avoiding key words and phrases that stigmatize or diminish someone who’s experiencing a mental health crisis. Examples include:

• Saying “died by suicide” instead of “committed suicide” because “commit” implies it is a sin or crime, reinforcing the stigma that it’s a selfish act and personal choice.
• Saying “He is facing suicide or experiencing suicidal thoughts” instead of “He’s suicidal” because putting the condition before the person reduces someone’s identity to their diagnosis. People aren’t their illness; they have an illness.

Learning together accelerates progress and I’m proud to say that we’ve seen significant growth in knowledge across our organization. How is your team or organization using its words to destigmatize mental health and emphasize that mental health matters?

We're looking at ways to talk about mental health within the population of our team, as well. Notably, we have been providing training on appropriate language to use that avoids blaming or ignoring the individual; talking about the importance of preventative screening for depression and suicide risk; and providing Trauma Informed Care to groups of our team.

We continue to survey team members on how social determinants of health impact their wellbeing and are providing necessary resources to?help?support our team’s economic stability, food, housing, transportation security and childcare?needs. By making sure our people are cared for first, they can best provide care to our patients and families.

Creating an innovative model of care

Children’s is working diligently to deploy new, creative and impactful services for patients. Notably, the Behavioral Health & Wellness Center at Children’s Nebraska will open its doors in early 2026 – in partnership with the Mental Health Innovation Foundation and private-public partnerships. With a one-entry model and access to everything from crisis assessment and intervention to a primary care clinic, we’re providing the full spectrum of care under one roof. The single-entry layout was an intentional choice, and it’s all about educating the community that mental health is part of our overall health—and it isn't distinct from medical.

An emergency room can be traumatic for families, so we’re working to create a space where children want to seek care sooner. Across the nation, we’re looking at crisis differently and trying to redefine how and where families can get the care they need at a less acute level, that’s easier to navigate and less expensive.

We're all working together to help the mental and behavioral health system become stronger and more integrated. Specific to the Behavioral Health & Wellness Center, we’re conducting research and being innovative around everything from mental health science to sensory experiences. How does this building foster wellness? How does it create safety and security? How can we make it comforting and what colors help promote that feeling? Every decision is backed by research and meaningful investments.

One thing I love about Children’s is that we’re really partnering with our community in the development of this center, creating a shared vision for what this wellness center is. We’re a part of something so much bigger here. By seeking input from other organizations, community members and partners, this center will feel like a space for anyone and everyone in Nebraska—and in our region. We want young people and families to know they are cared for and welcomed here.

Personalizing your approach for maximum impact

Suicide attempts, ideation and self-injury are the most common mental health conditions seen in children’s hospitals’ emergency departments, according to data from the Children’s Hospital Association’s Pediatric Health Information System. Nationally, 31 to 55% of pediatric patients seen in emergency departments for suicide risk receive follow-up within 30 days, which has the potential to leave safety gaps in care

At Children’s, 100% of patients enrolled in our Caring Contacts program receive personalized follow-up. Caring Contacts is part of the Zero Suicide Institute framework, rolled out at Children’s in May 2020 to address the growing pediatric mental health crisis. ?Through this program, social workers provide meaningful, handwritten notes to patients seen in our emergency department for mental health struggles throughout the year, conveying words of support, offering coping skills and encouraging them to reach out to mental health support systems. ?In its first 4 years, Caring Contacts has enrolled more than 830 patients—a 98% enrollment rate—with zero deaths by suicide. These personal notes are a sign of hope and a reminder of the connection they made in the hospital – you can’t underestimate the power of that.

This program has been life-changing, and we want to maximize its impact by sharing the framework with other hospitals and health care organizations across the country. To date, the Caring Contacts replication kit has been shared with 19 hospitals and 46 schools nationwide. Additionally, the Caring Contacts project is being submitted for research publication this year.

We want to partner with other professionals to increase the national percentage of at-risk patients receiving follow-up from their care team – resulting in feedback like what we’ve seen through our program:

?“The cards mean so much to me; each one is hanging up in my room. I wanted to let you know how much of an impact the cards have and to know someone I met once cares so deeply for me.”

"Thank you for being there when I needed it the most, and for playing such a significant role in my journey toward healing & growth.”

Together, we can amplify awareness, break the stigma surrounding mental health, promote early intervention and provide accessible resources for children and families navigating these turbulent waters. Let us stand united in our commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing of our youth, advocating for meaningful change and building a future where pediatric suicide is a preventable tragedy of the past.

How will you take action to combat the mental health crisis affecting our youth?

Renee Rafferty is the Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health at Children’s Nebraska. She is passionate about advocacy and building innovative, impactful programs to improve the lives of children and families. Renee oversees the strategic growth and operations of critical behavioral health services, including the planned?Behavioral Health & Wellness Center at Children’s Nebraska.

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