Spanish Fork professionals visit D.C. to raise awareness for mental health treatment centers
Daily HeraldAug 05, 2017
Most parents wouldn't think of letting their son or daughter run around with an unset broken leg. It's unheard of, and it's something health insurance readily covers. Plus, there's that cool cast for friends to sign.
But for those who have similar mentally broken parts, there is no cultural coolness factor, and often there is no health insurance coverage. So many youth are walking around, ill, with few options to help them. And many of their parents' hearts are also breaking.
"We were watching our daughter crater before our eyes. We were desperate. Something needed to be done," Deutsch said on a phone interview with the
At that point in 2013, his daughter had already been through outpatient programs, in the hospital, and tried other treatments. None of them worked. As he and his wife searched for something to save their daughter, they heard about
He still tears up a little recalling that day in
"It was the worst day of our life," he said. "But ultimately we trusted that this would save our daughter. That hope was the only thing we had to cling to."
Only a month later, when they returned to
"We were walking up the sidewalk and she came running out, and gave us the best hug," he said. "In the course of that weekend, that's when I got it. That's when I understood the work those girls were doing, and the work our family needed to do."
Deutsch's daughter transitioned from
"
The Deutsch family, including their daughter, was part of a 2016 delegation that flew in to
"The reality is serious mental health issues need to recognized and covered similar to physical ailments," Deutsch said.
Bartlett flew out with NATSAP in May as part of the 2017 delegation to
"This year was geared toward concerns we have about legislation, and about misconceptions. There is some fear of what's going to happen in the new administration," Bartlett said. "We want to bring awareness about the quality of care and level of accountability in our industry."
Bartlett said reality TV shows have sensationalized parts of the therapeutic industry, specifically wilderness camps. Those inaccuracies have damaged the perceptions of residential therapy.
"That's not even close to what we do. We don't use any of those tactics," she said.
Too often, the quiet day-to-day work of private, specialized treatment centers all over the nation is never seen, partly because of the stigma of mental illness, and often because success means stories like the Deutsch's - a daughter who can function in "normal" society.
Bartlett said her NATSAP delegation also explained to lawmakers the 15 years of data
"There is a real need for what we do," Bartlett said. "We need increased health insurance funding. Insurance isn't geared toward long-term care, but we need awareness for that and support for these youth. If not, studies show they will be in and out of at least five other psychiatric placements or partial hospitalizations. We need coverage around long-term resolutions. Mental health coverage in insurance is sorely lacking and out of date."
For now, NATSAP and its members work year-round sharing data, experiences and solutions with any national or state leader or lawmaker who will listen. Deutsch, while raising his other four children and providing for his family, sill reaches out to other parents "who are walking in those same shoes," encouraging them that it can get better.