Children’s Minnesota and Washburn Center for Children in the US have announced their collaboration to tackle the rising challenge of emergency department boarding solutions for children experiencing mental health crises.

The initiative aims to decrease the time young patients spend in hospital emergency departments and ensure they receive timely access to necessary treatment.

Over the past ten years, hospital emergency departments across the US have reported a sharp increase in visits from youth with mental health issues. Children’s Minnesota alone recorded over 1,200 visits of this kind during 2024.

Emergency department boarding occurs when children in crisis wait, sometimes for days, for either an appropriate care placement or a safe plan to return home.

As part of the new collaboration, Washburn Center for Children has appointed an acute response therapist to work within Children’s Minnesota emergency department. This role focuses on connecting families in crisis with essential mental health services more efficiently.

The service begins with staff working closely with caregivers during the child’s emergency department stay.

This includes building a safety and stabilisation plan tailored for each family and preparing them for a transition home or to community-based care. The approach aims to decrease the time spent in hospital environments and equip caregivers confidence and direction.

The partnership targets access to intensive in-home or community-based support within 72 hours of referral.

Key programme elements include facilitating follow-up therapy and community resources, developing family stabilisation plans prior to discharge, creating safety plans to sustain progress after hospitalisation, and assisting with care coordination.

The model is designed to optimise hospital resources, reduce boarding time, enhance outcomes for underinsured or uninsured families, and improve care continuity.

Children’s Minnesota president and CEO Emily Chapman said: “When a child arrives in our emergency room in the midst of a mental health crisis, they are at their most vulnerable. In these critical moments, it is our responsibility to offer not just care, but a lifeline. This partnership is one more step towards supporting families with the tools they need to navigate this difficult journey.”

In February 2025, CLTech entered an agreement with Children’s Minnesota to use AI to enhance operational efficiency.