NV PAL Mission & History

The problem: a crisis in children's mental health

Children and adolescents with mental health problems face daunting challenges:

  • At least half of all youth with mental health problems do NOT receive treatment.
  • Pediatricians (often the first line of contact with such youth) report feeling they lack the training to treat mental health problems.
  • There is a national shortage of child mental health providers and that shortage is even more severe in Nevada. (See below)

Nevada's children face a mental health care crisis  

According to AACAP, Nevada has a severe shortage in Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists.

  • Nationally, the ratio of Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists to youths is 14:100,000; in Nevada, the ratio is 8:100,000.
  • There are only 56 Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists in the entire state of Nevada.
  • 71% of counties in Nevada do not have a single Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist.
Practicing Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists

Click the image above to view the interactive map on AACAP's website. (opens in new window)

How can we address this problem?

Nevada Pediatric Access Line (NV PAL) was created by a group of pioneering child mental health experts and non-profit organizations intent on solving this set of interrelated problems.

NV PAL's mission is to:

  1. Expand access to child mental health care statewide, and
  2. Grow Nevada’s primary care clinicians' knowledge, skills, and competencies in children’s mental health.

With NV PAL, any PCP in Nevada now has free access to our expert team of youth mental health experts to help collaborate on the diagnosis and care of their patients. Additionally, any PCP can utilize our resources to broaden and deepen their knowledge about common mental health disorders, empowering them to provide better care to future patients.    

Together, we are solving the problem, improving treatment outcomes, and helping children in need today grow to become the best versions of themselves tomorrow. 

How is NV PAL able to provide its services for free?

We are able to provide NV PAL as a free resource for PCPs and families of Nevada thanks to a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to generous support from local corporate sponsors. Read more about our funding here.