AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate held a second public meeting Wednesday to investigate the mass shooting in Uvalde. It focused on mental health. It was revealed that Uvalde was receiving less state-funded mental health services in their school district than other cities in the state.
The Texas Child Health Access through Telemedicine program, also called TCHATT, is a free service for kids experiencing mental health concerns. At the time of the shooting, UVALDE CISD did not have this service.
“The local mental health authority had some support, but the school district had not been part,” said Dr. David Lakey, chief medical officer at the University of Texas System.
He said there are now conversations taking place among City of Uvalde leaders to get TCHATT in schools. He suggested that mental health services could be part of the solution to make sure tragedies like the one in Uvalde don’t happen again.
“I think of the time that he’s truant and no longer in school, and there’s no access from the school. That’d be hard for us to reach. But it is possible for us to reach the next person earlier before they progress to that state,” Dr. Lakey said.
Dr. Roshni Koli of Dell Children’s Medical Center provided some surprising data.
“As of 2019, firearm injuries surpassed motor vehicle collisions as the leading cause of death for children and youth in the United States,” Koli said.
Many of the doctors who testified today said there are not enough resources to solve the state’s mental health problem.
“The state continues to face shortages of mental health professionals. The one thing I might add are shortages of mental health professionals who speak Spanish as well as mental health professionals who reflect the communities that they serve,” said Dr. Stephanie Chapman, director of primary care psychology at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Doctors also emphasized the stigmatization of children who see a psychologist or therapist.
“The more that we can make this a safe thing to talk about and it’s not stigmatized, then that’s where we’ll really going to make the most change there,” said Dr. Laurel Williams with Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine.
In the hearing, those who testified made it clear more money, resources and systems are necessary to come up with proper solutions for people who are experiencing mental health crises in Texas.