Tag: Children & Youth
How Utah Is Looking Out for Kids Who Lose a Parent
June 2, 2026 – The Meadows Institute is featured in Reasons to be Cheerful, a nonprofit media outlet, in a story about the steps Utah is taking to support bereaved children. In April, Utah’s Intermountain…
A year after the Central Texas, Camp Mystic flood, the grief endures. Tips on how to cope.
May 30, 2026 – The Meadows Institute is featured in USA Today with an opinion piece by Dr. Julie Kaplow titled “A year after the Central Texas, Camp Mystic flood, the grief endures. Tips on…
School children at San Diego mosque need support to process trauma of shooting
May 19, 2026 – The Meadows Institute was featured in a story on NPR’s “All Things Considered” about yesterday’s attack at the mosque in San Diego. Julie Kaplow spoke about the impact that violence has…
Youth Crisis Outreach Teams in Texas
Youth Crisis Outreach Teams (YCOTs) are modeled after Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS), recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) as an evidence-informed practice for addressing immediate and crisis-level mental…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute’s Statement on Senate Bill 25
DALLAS – August 27, 2025 – Andy Keller, the president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, released this statement on the signing of Senate Bill 25: “Texas is leading the nation in…
Supporting the Mental Health and Well-being of Youth with Developmental Disabilities
SUMMARY — Since 2022, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, with support from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD), has researched the mental health needs of youth and young adults with developmental disabilities...
TCDD Community Action Guide
SUMMARY - With funding from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD), the Meadows Institute conducted research and facilitated three focus groups with young adults with developmental disabilities (DD) and mental health concerns. The...
Senate Health and Human Services Committee
SUMMARY—On September 18, 2024, Andy Keller, the president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, provided invited testimony before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
‘A Silent Public Health Crisis’
Shedding a light on the trauma of intergenerational incarceration JULY 26, 2024 As a trial court judge in Georgia’s most populous county, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert C. McBurney knows that the American justice…
The Need for a Pediatric Treatment Resistant Depression Center of Excellence
SUMMARY - Treatment resistant depression is a growing problem for children in Texas and the United States. Twenty percent of children experience an episode of major depression before adulthood and rates of reported depression...
‘A Paradigm Shift’
Meadows Institute leaders call for expanding the crisis care continuum into pretrial detention From left: Yolanda Lewis, executive vice president for justice and health at the Meadows Institute, Tim Bray, vice president for justice and…
A Texas Solution to a National Challenge: How Telehealth Can Bolster Youth Mental Health in the Near-Term
SUMMARY - The nation’s young people are facing a growing mental health challenge, one that has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health workforce shortages. This extends to Texas children and youth...
‘Go And Tell Your Story’
Meadows Institute experts share advice on speaking to lawmakers about pediatric integrated behavioral health care and the Collaborative Care Model at the AACAP legislative conference. The hundreds of child and adolescent psychiatrists from around the…
A gunman stole his twin from him. This is what he’s learned about grieving a sibling
This article was published by NPR on April 10, 2024. Read or listen to the full story on NPR’s website. Zion Kelly still thinks of himself as a twin. By the time he and his…
A gunman stole his twin from him. This is what he’s learned about grieving a sibling
This article was published by NPR on March 21, 2024. Read the full article on NPR’s website. Zion Kelly still thinks of himself as a twin. By the time he and his fraternal twin, Zaire, were in their mid-teens, people often mistook Zaire as the older of…
El Paso Behavioral Health Summit to focus on improving services for children and youth
This article was published by KFOX14 on March 21, 2024. Read the full article on KFOX14’s website. EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A group of local leaders, brought together by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, gathered…
Aiming to address the youth behavioral health crisis, Hawaii experts look towards Texas initiatives
This article was published by State of Reform on March 1, 2024. Read the full article on State of Reform’s website. As more states across the nation ramp up efforts to increase and provide access to behavioral…
Silent struggles: Grieving Houston-area students’ well-being at stake as COVID-19 funds fade
This article was published by Houston Landing on January 4, 2024. Each day after his shift as a machine operator, Eliberto Ortega used to walk through the front door of his east Houston home, take…
Most Texans can’t find or afford mental health care, according to a new report
This article was originally published by Texas Public Radio on January 2, 2024. This story discusses data related to mental health. For resources and support, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or…
Mental health picture for North Texas kids is grim, but there is a silver lining
This opinion article was originally published by the Dallas Morning News on December 8, 2023. It is heartbreaking, although not surprising, to learn that our kids are struggling with their mental health. A recent report…