For the past six years, Dr. Steve Baron has been at the helm of the D.C. Department of Mental Health (DMH), the agency charged with caring for individuals -- including incarcerated youth -- who grapple with mental health challenges.
However, while DMH helps some 20,000 people annually -- many through a mobile crisis intervention unit -- a particular focus is youth.
According to Baron -- who notes a dramatic decrease in out-of-state placement of children with acute mental health needs in psychiatric residential treatment facilities --
within 72 hours of entering care, DMH routinely provides its youth patients with a mental health assessment.
Meanwhile, DMH which also operates a school based program in several public and public charter facilities, offers prevention, early intervention and clinical services to youth and their families.
Information from DHM's website states that the U. S.Surgeon General reports that one in five children and adolescents experience signs and symptoms of a diagnosable mental disorder each year. As a result, there are significant disruptions of school classrooms, increased truancy, increased risk for alcohol and drug abuse and decreased graduation rates.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, between 50 percent to 75 percent of youth in juvenile justice facilities suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder.
To that end, Baron said that his agency partners with the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services (DYRS) to provide "wrap around" intensive mental health treatment services to about 34 youth.
"We hope we can grow [that number] . . . [as] we [need to] serve hundreds, hundreds more," Baron said.