RICHMOND, Va. -- As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, a recent report shows there are ten of thousands of children in Virginia who are dealing with mental health issues.
Emergency room doctors said hospitals are busy trying to locate beds at psychiatric hospitals for children under the age of 18.
Last week, the state launched the Virginia Mental Health Access Program to help connect children sooner to providers for mental health services.
Ricky Scott with Community Counseling Mental Health Services in Petersburg said getting help early is important for young people.
“I cannot put enough emphasis on how important Mental Health Awareness Month is, just working with individuals, a lot of people going through things,” Scott said. “There's stigmas in communities as far as reaching out and getting the help they need. And our outreach component is trying to reach those individuals and bring them in and trying to offer them the help they need."
Get mental health resources at WTVR.com/YouAreNotAlone.
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