Pediatric Mental Health in East Harlem Schools: Mapping An Uneven Playing Field

Pediatric mental health services in minority urban low-resource communities are often in high demand and in inadequate supply. East Harlem, New York City is a neighborhood with similar circumstances. As of the 2010, 18.3 % or approximately 27,000 of its 120,000 residents are below the age of 18. Recent data shows an estimated 1,900 youth between the ages of 9-17 are identified as seriously emotionally disturbed yet there are only 21 programs that provide mental health services to both youth and adolescents. In an effort to examine the policy and practice barriers to providing adequate pediatric mental health services in East Harlem, a community-based project was conducted to examine the landscape of pediatric mental health services. The objectives of the project were to identify, distinguish the nature of, and map mental health programs and services available in East Harlem NYC public school-based health centers because they bring together a variety of important stakeholders in a child’s life and may offer accessible services. A multi-method approach was used to collect and triangulate data and information on types of services offered, funding sources, and utilization to inform the development of a community map illustrating school-based pediatric mental health services. Findings showed no one standard of care for pediatric mental health with large variations on quality and capacity in East Harlem schools. Improving the state of pediatric mental health in East Harlem will require establishing a standard of care and targeting schools with the highest needs.