By Lisa Pritzker, Cal Matters, May 25, 2021
Decades ago, as a hotline volunteer with Safe & Sound, I spoke with exhausted parents in crisis because there were no preventive supports to proactively alleviate their poverty and trauma.
As a volunteer for the Child and Adolescent Psych Services Department at San Francisco General Hospital, I witnessed traumatized children waiting for mental health visits in a cramped, dark waiting room next to adult patients in psychiatric distress. The physical setting did nothing to destigmatize mental health, nor encourage a welcoming experience.
While much of this is changing, the statistics remain alarming.
Comments (0)