News Releases
Stanford Medical Center announces $100,000 planning grant for community response to teen depression and suicide
For Release: June 17, 2009
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Enhancing the response to teen depression and suicide is the focus of a new planning grant announced on June 12 by the Stanford Medical Center. The $100,000 grant, funded by Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital & Clinics, will support collaboration among Palo Alto-area providers of health care resources for teens."Our community has a wealth of expertise and resources in child and adolescent mental health, but no mechanism for a coordinated, timely response to teens in crisis," said Frances Wren, MD. Wren, a pediatric psychiatrist who directs the Child and Adolescent Depression Clinic at Packard Children's, is partnering with local medical and mental health colleagues to develop a coalition to enhance the health-care response to teen depression.
"There is great interest, from all groups treating our community's youth, in finding ways to work together promptly and effectively to respond to teens in crisis." Wren said. "This grant will help provide the resources we need for essential collaboration and planning with all community stakeholders. We hope the new coalition will make a difference in the lives of teens and families."
"This is exactly the kind of community need our medical center should respond to," said Christopher Dawes, CEO of Packard Children's, speaking on behalf of Packard Children's, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, and the Stanford University School of Medicine.
At a meeting last week at Packard Children’s, pediatricians and a panel from the local mental health community identified several key goals for the new coalition. Participants discussed collaboration between primary care and mental health services for teen depression and suicide prevention, pooling of expertise and resources, tackling misconceptions and other barriers to mental health treatment.
In addition, the coalition hopes to develop a crisis-management protocol for the healthcare response to the community emergency of adolescent suicide, partnering with local families, schools, emergency services, primary care and mental health facilities.
"Ninety percent of people who die by suicide are suffering a psychiatric illness such as depression," Wren said. "Fortunately, effective treatments are available for depression and other mental health problems. Our goal is to increase our community's ability to get these treatments to the young people who need them."
About Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Ranked as one of the nation's best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is a 272-bed hospital devoted to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric and obstetric medical and surgical services and associated with the Stanford University School of Medicine, Packard Children's offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health care programs and services, from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury. For more information, visit www.lpch.org.
About Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiac care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. Consistently ranking among the nation’s top hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of “America’s Best Hospitals,” Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. For more information, visit www.stanfordhospital.com.
About Stanford University School of Medicine
The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.
Media Contact
Erin Digitaledigitale@stanford.edu
(650) 724-9175