Dayton Children’s launches movement to break silence on children’s mental health

DAYTON — The Dayton Children’s Hospital is embracing the “On Our Sleeves” movement, a nationwide endeavor to break the silence surrounding children’s mental health.

>> RELATED: Dayton Children’s looks to bring awareness to children’s mental health with new initiative

Hospital staff says the pandemic has highlighted the unseen damage that isolation and depression can do to kids.

“I think it is sad that the kids can’t be around one another to hug and play, but there are other ways around it,” said Britany Smith.

Smith, who is helping parents navigate the system, says that’s just one example of how the pandemic has impacted her and the children she helps.

Smith feels a new partnership is one potential way around the problem.

Hospital leaders say they are also looking to change the way other people view mental illness.

“We are out to break the stigma for mental health in kids. We want our children to know that it is ok to not be ok,” said Teresa Prouty, Dayton Children’s Hospital Family Partnership Coordinator.

This is the hospital’s first year joining the “On Our Sleeves” project.

Hospital leaders say it’s an example of why they’re excited about the future they say increases behavioral health services, following a year of intense pandemic struggles.

Nina Raines, a certified prevention specialist at Dayton Children’s Hospital, says bringing this partnership to Dayton is important.

She says providing children better mental comfort has shown a direct connection to keeping them safer later in life.

“Half of all lifetime mental illness begins by the age of 14, so it is important to go further upstream and talk about mental health and intervene earlier in a child’s life,” said Raines.

It’s a change hospital leaders say is aimed at helping not just the kids, but also their parents.

“It changes for the better because it gives us a different outlook on how to do things,” said Smith.

Hospital officials added that this new movement is here to stay, and that since 2018 about two million people have been helped with free educational resources to support those healthy conversations and awareness about mental health issues.

Cox Media Group