Children's Hospital Association Focuses on Boarding Kids in the ED through Digital Ads

WASHINGTON, DC — The Children's Hospital Association (CHA) is running digital ads starting Feb. 8 to raise awareness on the issue of boarding affecting children’s hospitals around the country. Boarding is the term used when kids experiencing a mental health crisis are kept in emergency department (ED) facilities until they can be admitted for psychiatric treatment or transferred to another facility.

While boarding keeps vulnerable patients physically safe from injury, waiting in an ED does not provide the specialized mental health treatment kids need to help them recover. In addition to delaying treatment and recovery, prolonged boarding also means extended absences from schools and communities, and puts undue stress on both kids and their caregivers. For providers, boarding that lasts weeks or even months drains resources and staff in overtaxed environments, making timely treatment challenging.

"Boarding kids in children’s hospitals’ emergency rooms is not a solution for a child or teen in a mental health crisis. While safe from harm, boarding is simply a holding pattern for kids awaiting care from the specialized programs and providers they need. We welcome conversations on how to address the escalating mental health crisis in our children," said Amy Wimpey Knight, president of CHA.

This digital ad campaign is targeted to reaching policymakers. It will run over the course of the next two weeks in a variety of media outlets, and on digital and social media platforms.