A 17-year old Tampa Bay resident joined 50 other pediatric patients from across the U.S. by meeting with lawmakers to address significant health challenges that children are facing today.
Iker Dorta and his guardian, Sharon Schmidt, asked Congress to advance policies that would improve access to mental health services for children and families in Florida, Cision PR Newswire reported.
After losing his father and stepmother due to tragic circumstances, Dorta moved in with his grandmother and aunt and began therapy to process the trauma he had endured. In 2015, his grandmother, whom he was very close with, passed away and shortly after that, his remaining family became homeless.
After entering high school, Dorta joined a coalition that allowed him to advocate against the use of drugs. It was there that a school counselor identified that Dorta could take advantage of intensive services, and he was referred to a program that provides services for youth who are at high risk for hospitalization or out-of-home placement.
During that program's virtual meetings, he joined Schmidt, BayCare Behavioral Health Services Vice President Gail Ryder, BayCare Behavioral Health Director of Clinical Operations Tracey Kaly, and professionals from St. Joseph's Children's Hospital to speak with U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Palm Harbor), Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Hillsborough), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Manatee), Rep. Darren Soto (D-Orlando) and Rep. Greg Steube (R-Tampa Bay).
"We're worried about the pandemic's long-term impact on mental health in children. We're already beginning to see a surge in post-traumatic stress disorder," Ryder said, according to Cision PR Newswire. "That's not to say that adults aren't also suffering, but many of our kids are just lost."
Nationally, hospitals saw an increase in the proportion of mental health emergency department visits for kids ages 5 to 11 from April to October 2020. Hospitals saw a 24% increase in the 5-to-11 age group and a 31% increase in the 12-to17 age group when it comes to mental health emergency visits, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
