Hopeful Conversations to End the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Imagine a world where every child’s mental health is nurtured — where kids can get the care they need, when they need it.

That’s the vision of Speak Our Minds, an affiliate of the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).

Speak Our Minds focuses on creating an effective system of care to address the youth mental health crisis.

The organization brings together providers, payors, parents, experts, policymakers, and business entities to share their stories and advocate for accessible mental health care.

“We are facing a youth mental health crisis, and yet we still don’t have a comprehensive system of care,” said Heidi Baskfield, CHA’s vice president of mental health and Speak Our Minds executive director. “We team up with providers to talk about what children’s hospitals are doing to take on this challenge and have things be better for our youth.”

Speak Our Minds’ podcast shines a light on what’s working, what’s changing, and what lies ahead on the road to better mental health care for children.

A broken mental health system

The current youth mental health crisis continues to result in catastrophic outcomes.

Recent years have seen a rise in anxiety, depression, and other challenges among young people. Many families struggle to find timely, compassionate care until kids reach a crisis point.

With suicide as a leading cause of death for youth, mental health providers closing shop, and entire systems of care collapsing, something needs to change.

Provider perspectives

Baskfield invites providers from children’s hospitals nationwide for insightful conversations.

In each podcast, experts discuss hurdles they face: limited resources, ongoing stigma, and the need for more integrated care.

Providers also highlight how hospitals are reimagining care, introducing new practices, updating approaches, and sparking a national shift in the mental health conversation.

The podcast covers a variety of topics, including:

• Improving access to care
• Developing community-based mental health support
• Expanding school-based mental health efforts
• Implementing mental health screenings in primary care

Providers and advocates on the show share their vision for the next five years: earlier screenings, easier access to care, and a future where mental health is prioritized in every setting, from classrooms to pediatricians’ offices. Episodes also feature families who have navigated the challenges of the youth mental health care system.

Join the conversation

The free Speak Our Minds podcast is available in both video and audio format on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Listen, share, and join the movement to end the youth mental health crisis — one inspiring story, new approach, and hopeful conversation at a time.