Rep. Johnson and behavioral health experts say early treatment is needed

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - On Tuesday, Representative Dusty Johnson held a roundtable on behavioral health with some of South Dakota’s top professionals to discuss challenges in the state and progress being made.

Despite the various telehealth services available, such as 988, many children and emerging adults are not receiving services to address their mental health needs; however, those who do are often receiving them in school.

Kari Oyen, PhD, the Program Director and Associate Professor of School Psychology at the University of South Dakota, pointed out some alarming figures, such that emerging adults are five times more likely to be suicidal than any other demographic.

“We’re seeing the need increase for mental health services for children and adults, and we know that we have a unique place in schools to be able to address mental health, which is exciting, but we need more workforce to address those needs,” Oyen said.

Dr. David Ermer, a psychiatric physician with Avera Behavioral Health, chimed in from the crowd, pointing out that data shows there will never be enough psychiatrists to fill the needs of every citizen in the state and the country, and therefore, collaboration is important.

Panelists echoed the importance of addressing needs at the school and in general to make care for mental health, substance abuse and other addictions more effective by establishing more regional services in reach of all communities.

“When you got one in five kids who have a mental health problem, we’re not giving them the resources they need to get healthy. We’ve got one in thirteen of our (Native-American) school-aged children who have a parent incarcerated and that puts a lot of pressure on those kids. We want to make sure our kids grow up to be healthy members of society,” Rep. Johnson said.

Another big topic addressed was the issue of substance abuse.

Dr. Hannah Statz DeVries noted that 15-18% of people have a substance abuse issue and that 80% of them do not seek help, adding that in 2022, 330 people were lost to alcohol in just South Dakota alone. At the national level, over 51,000 people died from alcohol that same year.

Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff spoke on how there needs to be a larger conversation regarding the revenue that some of these cities and states are collecting. And how things such as liquor licenses are contributing to the vices that those in behavioral health have to respond to.

Angela Kennecke, the president and founder of Emily’s Hope, addressed the importance of early investment in mental health, pointing out that studies show that one dollar invested in public health saves $14 in treatment.