Staff Reports
Simply Healthcare has teamed up with the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FCAAP) to launch an online toolkit of resources — www.SimplyHealthyMinds.com — to help communities navigate mental health challenges facing children.
The online toolkit is timely given the growing crisis of mental health struggles in children. One in five children struggle with mental health. Half of those with diagnosable conditions don’t seek help or treatment.
At SimplyHealthyMinds.com, users can find resources such as guidelines for parents to talk to teens, conversation starters for parents to talk with children, journal entry prompts to help children express their feelings, access to local community assistance programs, screening tools and the suicide prevention hotline.
“Simply Healthcare is committed to supporting the whole health of Florida’s kids—their physical, mental and emotional health,” said Holly Prince, President of Simply Healthcare Medicaid Plan. “SimplyHealthyMinds.com will serve as a trusted source of information on mental health and programs that are available to help kids and families navigate mental health challenges and find appropriate treatment. We are pleased to partner with the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in this important mission to improve the lives of the people we are so privileged to serve.”
The website’s information is organized by user so children, teens, parents, health care providers, teachers or other individuals who interact with children can find the resources useful to them.
“There are real consequences when children who need support don’t have access to it,” said Dr. Lisa Gwynn, President of the Florida Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. “That’s why we wanted to make it easy to find the resources available and help Floridians navigate the challenges of mental health struggles among children.”
The month of September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. As Floridians look for resources to help, they can trust the information, tools and activities at SimplyHealthyMinds.com. The content was curated by experts from Simply Healthcare and pediatricians with FCAAP.
The rise of mental health struggles among children is in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Jed Foundation Report: Fluent Family Wellbeing Study, 60% of parents report that their children have experienced distress during the last year. Since COVID-19 began, Florida experienced a 30% increase in Baker Acts — the action of committing an individual to a mental health treatment center — among kids ages 12 to 17.
Mental health problems can affect many areas of children’s lives, including their happiness, physical health and academic performance. Fortunately, both Simply Healthcare and the FCAAP recognize the growing need to support children struggling with mental health issues and sprang into action to help.
Visit SimplyHealthyMinds.com to find the guidelines, best practices and local programs.
