Date of Award

2021

Embargo Period

8-1-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Health Administration

College

College of Health Professions

First Advisor

Kit N. Simpson

Second Advisor

Walter Jones

Third Advisor

Crystal Brown-Voeltz

Abstract

Research suggests that visits to the Emergency Department (ED) for psychiatric purposes among youth are rising and has been identified as a public health crisis. One in five school aged children struggle with mental illness with 70% of those diagnosed going untreated which promotes academic failure, behavior challenges, dropout, and unproductivity that leads into adulthood (Bains, Cusson, White-Frese & Walsh, 2017; Grady, Lever, Cunnigham, & Stephen, 2011). Schools have been identified as an ideal place for children to receive mental health services. School based tele-mental health is noted as a beneficial treatment that if delivered on site at schools could assist with closing the gap to accessing pediatric mental health needs saving money through transportation, time missed from school or work, and lower insurance cost (Hoover, Bernstein, Lever, & Edwards, 2016). This study will evaluate the cost effectiveness of receiving school based mental health treatment instead of visiting the emergency department for care (School-Based Tele-Mental Health Services, 2015; CEDAR, 2018).

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

Download

Share

COinS