In the U.S. suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for youth ages 15-19  Within every 2 hours and 2.5 minutes, a person under the age of 25 contemplates suicide. 

                                                            – American Association of Suicidology

            With every minute counting, a desperate mother was in a frenzy to find immediate medical help for her 16 year old daughter. Her daughter had recently informed her that she was so severely depressed that she wanted to end her life. The crisis facing this young girl and her mother was made worse by the fact that their insurance had recently been terminated. With no family or friends to turn to, the mother went to her daughter’s school nurse to ask her for advice. The nurse recommended that the mother take her daughter to The Children’s Clinic on Pine Family Health and Wellness Center. Without delay, the mother decided to take her daughter to the Clinic in hopes that she would receive the appropriate medical attention.

When the young girl got to the Clinic on Pine the pediatrician and social worker assessed the girl. Due to the severity of her symptoms, they contacted the Los Angeles County Health Department to have a psychiatric emergency team (PET) come out and evaluate her. The PET team is responsible for determining whether or not a patient needs to be hospitalized, what hospital would be appropriate for that patient to be admitted to (depending on age, location, insurance, etc.), or if a “psychiatric hold”, which detains mentally disordered persons for evaluation and treatment, should be placed on a patient. While the PET and TCC staff talked with the frantic mother about her daughter’s condition, a medical assistant stayed with the girl to watch and comfort her in her mother’s absence. During this time the Community Health Worker at the Clinic also helped the mother determine what could be done to reinstate her insurance.

After their evaluation, the PET team concluded that the girl was acutely suicidal and needed to be immediately hospitalized for a week at minimum. Through the collaborative efforts of The Children’s Clinic and the LA County Health Department this patient was able to receive medical care that may have prevented her from taking her life and adding to the staggering statistics of young people who commit suicide. The Clinic’s social worker at Pine continues to work with this family to ensure a continuum of care for this young girl.