Gilbert school teaches sound of music PAGE 19
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Kids in crisis, not enough help
INSIDE
This Week
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
NEWS ..................................
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Gilbert teen visits D.C. dignitaries.
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Gilbert home market rated 10th healthiest PAGE 10
23
Gilbert Little Leaguers earn state softball crown.
W
hen Phoenix Children’s Hospital opens its multi-specialty outpatient clinic in January in Gilbert, it will bring much-needed behavioral health care to children and teens. The East Valley — like the rest of the country — is seeing skyrocketing mental health diagnoses among children and adolescents in emergency departments. The problem is exacerbated by a shortage of professionals to deal with them — adding to the anxiety of parents who try to help their children. ER visits “for kids who come in for complaints of suicide and behavioral problems
in the past 10 years continue to increase,” said Dr. Randall Ricardi, chief of Psychiatry at Phoenix Children’s. “Partly, (population) growth is a driver and also I think better recognition of disorders in kids and adolescents and as a result more people come forward for care,” he added. The need can be seen in the number of pediatric patients who attempted suicide — and the rising number who complete it. In the East Valley alone, 35 teens — some as young as 13 — have taken their lives in the last two years. In 2008, two pediatric patients were brought to Phoenix Children’s emergency department for attempted suicide. In 2016, that number reached 497, according to hos-
pital data. And in 2008, Phoenix Children’s registered 64 pediatric patients in its emergency department with suicidal thoughts. By 2016, that number jumped to 553 patients. Overall, an estimated 17.1 million U.S. children are affected by a psychiatric disorder, making mental health ailments among the most common pediatric illnesses, according to a 2018 study by Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. Roughly 2 to 5 percent of all emergency department visits in the nation by children are related to mental health concerns. That underscores the importance of improving access to outpatient mental health
Gilbert rallies around alleged molester’s kids
see CRISIS page 8
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
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COMMUNITY ..................... 15 BUSINESS ............................ 19 OPINION .............................. 21 SPORTS ................................23 GETOUT ...............................24 CLASSIFIED........................27
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he town has rallied around four Gilbert children whose parents remained in jail last week after their father was accused of molesting multiple young girls and their mother accused of not reporting it. George Little, 46, faced a July 30 arraignment and Leslie Little, 46, faced a July 29 preliminary hearing. “I’ve known the mom for over 20 years,” said Bobbie Church. “I have no plans to visit Leslie. My goal is to make sure I clean up the mess and take care of the children. That is my goal. I’ve known these people so long. I know all these children.” Church said the four girls — ages 2, 4, 13 and 17 — are being
see MOLEST page 3
GPS ready to roll Islands Elementary teacher Lee Meschino is all prepared to meet her new students as Gilbert Public Schools starts the 2019-20 school year Thursday, Aug. 1. To see what's new in the district, see page 6. (Kimberly Carrillo/GSN Staff Photographer)
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