A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, To encourage the Executive Board of the Legislature to continue researching childhood mental health and mental health services available to children in this state.

WHEREAS, mental health issues in South Dakota constitute a public health crisis; and

WHEREAS, communities, families, and individuals face a broad spectrum of mental health challenges on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, mental health is vital to the wellbeing of children in this state; and

WHEREAS, children with trauma or adverse childhood experiences have a higher likelihood of entering the juvenile justice system and re-entering the juvenile justice system; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement officials in South Dakota have seen an increase in offenses for children under ten years old; and

WHEREAS, suicide is the leading cause of death for individuals aged ten to nineteen in South Dakota; and

WHEREAS, preventative medicine, early intervention, and family support services are essential in addressing childhood mental health issues; and

WHEREAS, there is a critical need for more mental health providers and school counselors in this state; and

WHEREAS, due to the lack of mental health providers in this state, individuals in need of services wait up to four-to-six weeks to receive treatment and care, with even greater wait times for pediatric psychiatry services; and

WHEREAS, due to the employment shortages in the mental health sector, juvenile justice reform efforts are being dramatically impacted; and

WHEREAS, there is a need for mental health services collaboration among state agencies, non-profit groups, and communities to reduce overlapping services and address areas where no services are currently being provided; and

WHEREAS, mental health has broadly improved over the last decade, but no group has studied childhood mental health issues specifically;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Eighth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that it is recommended to the Executive Board of the Legislature that further research is conducted in the area of childhood mental health and the ways in which childhood mental health services can be improved and broadened across South Dakota.