Call To Mind Live: How Child Poverty Shapes Mental Health

KERA's mental health project, On Our Minds, and American Public Media's mental health initiative, Call to Mind, hosted a free virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, May 5, exploring how the mental health of children and teens is affected by poverty. This event is part of the Well Beings Youth Mental Health Project and its Well Beings Tour, a project led by fellow public media organization WETA addressing youth mental health needs.

Watch The Discussion Below:

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Texas has the highest number of children in poverty in the U.S., with a child poverty rate of 19% in 2019, equaling 1.4 million kids. Texas scores in the bottom third of all states when it comes to child poverty in the U.S. — ranking 37th of 50.

In Call to Mind Live: How Child Poverty Shapes Mental Health, community members, experts and young people with lived experiences will discuss these statistics and more in a conversation moderated by KERA Daily News Editor, Syeda Hasan, formerly the station's mental health reporter.

The discussion will explore: What happens to well-being when basic needs aren't met? How are low-income kids in Texas faring during the COVID-19 pandemic — the worst economic disaster in recent memory? And how does economic insecurity during childhood inform decision making into adulthood?

Syeda Hasan

Syeda Hasan is the Elections Editor and Reporter at KERA. Before moving into that role, she covered mental health at the station. A Houston native, her journalism career has taken her to public radio newsrooms around Texas.

Garica Sanford

Garica Sanford, PsyD a passionate leader committed to social change and impact. Trained as a clinical child and family psychologist, Dr. Sanford is the Training Director at the nonprofit Momentous Institute in Dallas, Texas.

Carol Klocek

Carol Klocek is the CEO for Center for Transforming Lives, which works alongside women and their children to disrupt the cycle of poverty by providing comprehensive intervention, including homeless services, early childhood education, economic mobility services and clinical counseling.

Dr. Anu Partap

Anu Partap, MD, MPH has been a pediatrician for over 20 years, serving predominantly in safety net pediatric health care systems. Since 2020, she has served as the medical director of health equity at Cook Children’s Health Care System.

WELL BEINGS is a major national campaign from WETA addressing health needs in America with a focus on youth mental health.

The WELL BEINGS TOUR is made possible by Otsuka, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, One Mind, Movember, National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Dauten Family Foundation, Dana Foundation, Hersh Foundation, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, Frances Von Schlegell and John E. Von Schlegell, Robina Riccitiello, Sutter Health, and Jackson Family Enterprises. Partners include CALL TO MIND at American Public Media, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, Forbes, PEOPLE, Mental Health America, The Steve Fund, and The Jed Foundation.

Call to Mind is American Public Media’s initiative to foster new conversations about mental health. Call to Mind is bringing mental health conversations into the open, increasing public knowledge and engagement, to empower people to find the support they want and need.

Registrants may be contacted about this event and invited by KERA, Call to Mind and Well Beings to engage with future content.

Support provided by Otsuka, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, Liberty Mutual Insurance, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, One Mind, Movember, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Dana Foundation, Dauten Family Foundation, The Hersh Foundation, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, John & Frances Von Schlegell, Sutter Health, Robina Riccitiello, and Jackson Family Enterprises.

Partners include CALL TO MIND at American Public Media, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, WE Organization, Forbes, PEOPLE, Mental Health America, National Council for Behavioral Health, The Steve Fund, and The Jed Foundation.