Children's Mental Health in Essex County
The program called "Families First" of Essex County is a support network for families whose children suffer from mental health issues. I could not find whether or not mental health among children was a predominant issue in this county, however, I think it is an important medical issue among any community. Specifically, I would imagine that rural communities such as Essex County would suffer disproportionately from mental health-related issues given the fact that communication and access to resources is scarce. Indeed, this program was founded in 1992 to provide services to a growing part of the community whose needs were unmet. Families First facilitates opportunities to meet other families whose children have similar emotional or behavioral challenges. They also provide a family support specialist who meets with individual families in their homes and coaches and educates parents on how to deal and manage their children's needs. In addition, they also provide a case worker to prevent residential placement of such children.
As a "local medical expert" I would love to get involved in this program that Essex County has established. I think that the support system is a great way for parents to network with other families and family support specialists. As a physician, I would do my best to screen for emotional and behavioral issues among my younger patients and would strongly advocate this program. I think it is a great preventive program that targets the issue in its infancy, instead of addressing more severe circumstances down the road. While mental health issues are not necessarily preventable, I think that they can be managed in a such a way as to prevent the issues from becoming debilitating. In addition, this program would have a great impact on the community as it would raise awareness about children's mental health and promote greater compassion and support.
