PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – May is designated Mental Health Awareness Month and a new study found that pediatricians are increasingly stepping in as mental health care providers for children, prescribing medications for depression or anxiety.
While that’s beneficial, experts said the problem is that only one-third of kids who are given medication also receive a referral to a therapist.
“The therapeutic component really helps us build in the insight the awareness to why the struggle is showing up in the first place, and then building in new behaviors and ways to cope in this life that’s stressful,” said Aja Chavez, Director of Adolescent Services for Mission Prep Healthcare.
The need for mental health services has led to the expansion of a vital South Florida facility.
Along with direct counseling, Memorial Healthcare’s new outpatient behavioral health center in Davie, provides a variety of free services including peer mentoring, arts and craft activities, and recovery coaching.
“For me I see it as the hospital system really putting its money where its mouth is. They invested five million dollars in creating a state-of-the-art behavioral health facility for our community at large,” said Claudia Vicencio, Director of Memorial Healthcare’s Outpatient Behavioral Health Services.
The ‘Rebel’s Drop-In Center’, founded in honor of a past patient, is open every day of the week, year-round, including holidays.
And this first Monday in May is recognized as Melanoma Monday, which is part of a nationwide effort to focus on the deadliest form of skin cancer.
“Over time, melanomas can actually go deep in the skin and then invade the lymph nodes and spread elsewhere, and there can be mortality associated with it. So early detection is key in order to get the best outcomes,” said Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal, a dermatologist with Cleveland Clinic.
When caught early, the cure rate for melanoma is 99 percent.