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Chanda Chacón, president and CEO at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., talks with AHA about the hospital’s recently established pediatric mental health urgent care center.

1 in 5 children experience a mental illness. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health challenges and suicide risk among children. In this Members in Action podcast featuring maternal and child health efforts, Aisha Syeda, senior program manager at the AHA is joined by Chanda Chacòn, president and chief executive officer at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center to discuss the hospital’s investment in establishing a pediatric mental health urgent care center.

Five years ago, Shodair Children's Hospital embarked on a project to build a state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital. Designed by providers, patients and families who worked with leadership, architects, and designers, it will provide patients with individual rooms and restrooms; adaptable flexible spaces; a spiritual space with a smudge room; a pool; state-of-the-art security and safety; and quiet rooms with windows and recorded music.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released a report on the nine children recently hospitalized in Alabama with acute hepatitis of unknown origin who also had adenovirus.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) April 18 issued its hospital inpatient prospective payment system (PPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) PPS proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023.

Unvaccinated children aged 5-11 were twice as likely as vaccinated children to be hospitalized for COVID-19 in the first few months of the omicron wave, the study found.

The Obstetrics/U.S. Rural Hospitals infographic provides statistics on rural community hospitals in the U.S. and how many hospital births occur in them; the number of rural hospitals with obstetrics units and how many OB units have closed; and on maternity care deserts in the U.S. where access to maternity care is limited.

The need to improve maternal and child health equity in America while reducing access disparities has become a national focus. As policymakers and provider organizations continue to seek ways to reverse these trends, hospitals and health systems are stepping up with innovative efforts.

Michigan yesterday became the second state to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act.

CMS to convene stakeholders to share best practices; HRSA awards grants

The March of Dimes recently updated its implicit bias training modules to emphasize the importance of creating an action plan.

Though recognizing implicit bias is important, hospitals must have an action plan to address it.

Behavioral health startups that offer virtual care continue to draw strong interest from investors, with pediatric-focused Brightline being the latest example.

This week is Black Maternal Health Week, and April is National Minority Health Month. It’s an opportunity to “deepen the conversation” about black maternal health in the U.S. and to highlight the “important role individuals and organizations can play” in helping to reduce health disparities and improve the health of racial and ethnic minority communities.

Below are tools and other educational resources from national organizations dedicated to improving child and adolescent mental health outcomes.

Hospitals and health systems can play an important role in ensuring children and adolescents receive the behavioral health care they need to thrive.

According to latest data from the CDC, the U.S. maternal mortality rate, already significantly higher than in comparable countries, continues to rise, specifically for women of color.

Join the AHA for a virtual screening of the film, Toxic: A Black Woman’s Story to explore the many underlying factors impacting the health of Black women and their birth outcomes.

Participants in the Healthy Start Initiative may apply for up to $180,000 each in supplemental funding.

President Biden today submitted to Congress his budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2023.