Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts will join several area health professionals and community leaders in participating in Break the Cycle, a bike ride designed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by children with mental illnesses.
The Omaha ride on July 29-30 will serve as the kickoff event for the nationwide Break the Cycle ride, which begins in Washington state (Seattle) on Aug. 17 and concludes in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Break the Cycle was initiated through the AACAP.
"We appreciate the governor joining the cause," said Chris Kratochvil, M.D., a child psychiatrist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who is coordinating the ride in Omaha. "Hard as we try to dispel it, there is still a stigma in the U.S. when it comes to people receiving mental health care.
"It can be especially devastating for families when children struggle with their mental health. We hope this ride will help break down the misperceptions people have and allow them to better understand how important it is to seek treatment for mental health conditions. It can make a tremendous difference."
More than 15 million children in the U.S. are in need of the expertise of a child and adolescent psychiatrist – that’s 1 in 5 of America’s youth. Unfortunately, there is an extreme shortage of trained child psychiatrists to treat this vulnerable population, Dr. Kratochvil said, and children are caught in a cycle of limited access to mental health care, delayed treatment and worsening illnesses.
With this being Nebraska’s 150th anniversary as a state, Dr. Kratochvil said the Nebraska participants are planning to ride a total of 150 miles over the course of two days. The ride will take place on the bike trails that run throughout Omaha.
Several local organizations are supporting Break the Cycle, Dr. Kratochvil said. These include UNMC/Nebraska Medicine, the Hawks Foundation, Creighton University, CHI Health, the Kim Foundation, Project Harmony and the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska. The Nebraska Regional Council of the AACAP also is supporting the event.
Dr. Kratochvil, who is associate vice chancellor for clinical research at UNMC and vice president for research for Nebraska Medicine, plans to ride all 150 miles along with his wife, Jillyn, who is a pediatrician for Children’s Physicians and on the faculty of Creighton University Medical Center.
"Rather than open the event broadly, we have decided to focus on the commitment of community organizations," Dr. Kratochvil said. "In addition to the governor, participants in the day will include health care leaders, mental health professionals and other community leaders."
Participants can choose to ride both days, one day, or even part of one day, he said. Gov. Ricketts plans to ride on the morning of July 29 and will take a break to participate in a 9 a.m. news conference at UNMC.
Andrés Martin, M.D., M.P.H., a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Yale Child Study Center and Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the AACAP, will lead the cross-country bike ride. An avid cyclist and triathlete, Dr. Martin is coming to Omaha to participate in both the bike ride and news conference.
"Children’s mental illnesses are real, common, and treatable," he said. "Yet today in the United States, this vulnerable population is caught in a vicious cycle of limited access to care, delayed treatment, and worsening illnesses.
"I am delighted that this coast-to-coast ride will start at the very center of our nation and will coincide with the 150th birthday celebration of the great state of Nebraska. I am grateful to Governor Ricketts, to my good friend Dr. Chris Kratochvil, and for Omaha’s legendary hospitality."
During his lifetime, Dr. Martin has battled four episodes of major depression. In addition to being seen by mental health professionals and receiving medication, he credits his love of bicycling and exercise for keeping his depression at bay.
Dr. Martin will be covering more than 5,000 miles over 62 days across 21 states and the District of Columbia. He will average about 82 miles per day, while spending 496 hours on the bike and burning 270,000 calories. During the course of the ride, he will participate in media events in nine different cities.
Proceeds from Break the Cycle will be used by the AACAP to:
- fund innovative research initiatives;
- increase the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists; and
- help ensure that children suffering in silence get the treatment they need.
Dr. Kratochvil said $25,000 is the targeted fundraising goal for the Omaha event. More than $10,000 already has been raised through corporate sponsors. The public can donate by going to Nebraska 150 for Break the Cycle.
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