PCCYFS Press Release: PCCYFS Requests One-Time Payments to Support Growing Mental Health Needs of Children & Youth

The Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth, and Family Services (PCCYFS) submitted a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf requesting a one-time appropriation to mental health providers using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. As a recognized advocate for providers, PCCYFS emphasized the critical importance of this appropriation, especially given the increase in referral requests for children’s mental health service providers.

“Despite the growing intensity of needs, providers and their workforce are struggling in unprecedented ways, which has been distressing for everyone involved” said PCCYFS President and CEO, Terry L. Clark. “Our members go into this work because they care about the well-being of young people but need more resources to operate as effectively as they would like; no one wants to see children languishing at an inappropriate level of care. These agencies rely on public funding and this one-time insurgence would be a critical lifeline to many agencies that are barely hanging on.”

The request highlights the ongoing need of children’s mental health providers, which has only deepened as a result of the pandemic. It also reinforces the ways in which this aid could help children and youth receive better targeted services at an ideal level of care, instead of languishing in hospital beds because a more appropriate level of service is unavailable.

Read the full letter here.

Access the press release here