Key Takeaways:
- Integrated behavioral health combines mental health support directly into medical care, eliminating the need for families to navigate multiple systems during already challenging times.
- Children with serious medical conditions are 5 times more likely to experience anxiety or depression than their healthy peers according to Frontiers in Pediatrics, making emotional support essential to healing.
- Cure 4 The Kids Foundation has served over 70,000 patients with embedded psychologists and social workers as part of on-site medical care teams.
- Nevada ranks 51st nationally in youth mental health according to the MHA’s State of Mental Health in America 2025 report, highlighting the critical need for innovative care models that bring behavioral health directly to where children receive medical treatment.
- Families report 40% better treatment adherence after receiving psychoeducation and integrated mental health care and experience significantly reduced emergency department visits.
Every day at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, I meet parents whose children are facing both medical and emotional battles. One common story we hear: a child undergoing chemotherapy has started struggling not just with nausea or fatigue, but with growing panic about needles, tears about missing friends’ birthday parties, and nightmares that started after their diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis or chronic illness brings fear, isolation, anger, and grief. Parents already juggling treatment schedules and insurance calls suddenly find themselves trying to manage their child’s emotional crises alone. This is precisely why integrated behavioral health—having emotional and mental health support right where your child gets medical care—is absolutely crucial.
A whole-child, whole-family care approach is our philosophy and our promise to every family who walks through our doors. When we address emotional wellness and physical healing together, children engage more fully in their treatment and real transformations can happen.
That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce Dr. Danielle Bello, our Director of Behavioral Health at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, as a new contributor to our blog. After a decade of transforming how we care for Nevada’s children, Dr. Bello brings invaluable insights about the intersection of medical and emotional healing.
The Challenge: When Pediatric Mental Health Care is Siloed
Dr. Bello puts it this way: Traditionally, a child receives cancer treatment at one facility, then parents must find different providers for behavioral health support—and all too often must be put on a waitlist. Travel and coordination is difficult. Insurance authorizations require separate processes. Medical records don’t always transfer seamlessly. With all these barriers, mental health support inevitably drops in priority. In the meantime, kids can grow increasingly anxious and fearful.
And as Dr. Bello explains, emotional stress not only affects a child’s quality of life but also directly impacts physical recovery. Children who are hospitalized face significantly higher risks of developing new mental health conditions within a year of their stay:
- 7% of hospitalized children develop anxiety, depression, or trauma-related conditions (compared to 5% of non-hospitalized children)
- 8% of children who spend time in the ICU develop a mental health condition
- Children with non-complex chronic conditions face nearly 3 times the risk—approximately 15% develop new mental health diagnoses
- Children with complex chronic diseases face the steepest odds at over 5 times the risk, meaning roughly 25% (1 in 4) will develop anxiety, depression, or trauma within a year
Studies also show that children experiencing untreated anxiety during medical treatment can have 28–61% longer hospital stays.
These statistics represent thousands of Nevada children who leave hospitals physically healing but emotionally wounded. Without integrated support from the start, a child’s medical journey can inadvertently create lasting psychological challenges.
“When medical and behavioral health teams work separately, critical information falls through the cracks. A child’s sudden medication non-compliance might stem from depression rather than defiance. Without integrated communication, these connections get missed, and children suffer. Behavioral health integration is essential for providing the comprehensive care every child deserves.”
What Integrated Behavioral Health Care Looks Like at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation
Our behavioral health team—neuropsychologists, social workers, and Child Life Specialists all led by Dr. Bello—doesn’t operate in isolation. They work right on the clinic floor alongside physicians and nurse practitioners, providing brief therapeutic interventions, safety and risk screenings, and assessments of cognitive, psychological, and social needs as part of the medical visit. The medical team knows they can easily call on the behavioral health team when they encounter a concern in a patient.
In addition to in-clinic support, Dr. Bello provides neuropsychological evaluations through on-site physician referrals, assessing all areas of thinking and mood to make diagnoses and care recommendations. Unlike traditional settings where reports are simply submitted electronically, she communicates directly with physicians and nurse practitioners to discuss case nuances and provide immediate feedback. Child Life Specialists work with patients using techniques from medical play to Virtual Reality to increase a child’s understanding of their medical treatments, assist with pain management, and provide distraction. They ease patients’ fear and provide an environment that encourages play and interaction.
Additionally, social workers at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation complete intakes of new patients and frequently follow up with established patients to assist with financial and social barriers to care. Social workers complete screenings to identify family stressors and connect them with appropriate services.
Comprehensive Pediatric Care Clinics: Treating the Whole Child, Not Just the Diagnosis
A unique aspect of our integrated behavioral health care model is our comprehensive clinic visits, focused around specific diagnoses like sickle cell disease or cancer survivorship. During these extended appointments, families meet with a full team—physician, nursing, pharmacy, dental, and behavioral health—addressing the whole patient and their quality of life. Dr. Bello often meets patients before their neuropsychological evaluation during these clinics, building rapport and answering questions, then follows up afterward to check status and determine additional needs.
Our team’s coordination is supported through weekly case conferences. When a pediatric oncologist notes increasing fatigue, our neuropsychologist might recognize treatment-related cognitive changes affecting school and mood. Together, they create synchronized care plans addressing the whole child, not just their diagnosis.
The measurable benefits we’ve seen speak volumes, and published studies exploring the value of integrated behavioral health care models corroborate our findings as well:
- 40% improved adherence to treatment
- 44% reduction in emergency room visits
- 62% reduction in depression symptoms
- Sustained improvement in anxiety symptoms
- Improved family resilience
That’s why we’re proud to say that at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, families don’t have to navigate behavioral health screening and assessment alone—our integrated team identifies mental health needs right alongside medical care. We then facilitate referrals for crisis response, hospitalization, or connection to community-based therapy services, ensuring families get the comprehensive care they need.
Overcoming Barriers to Child Mental Health Support in Nevada
Despite proven benefits, systemic challenges persist:
- With only 8 child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 children, Nevada faces a severe shortage of pediatric behavioral health professionals
- 71% of counties have no child and adolescent psychiatrists at all
- Reimbursement structures often don’t adequately cover integrated services
- Electronic health records and systems are frequently fragmented
Yet opportunities for transformation exist throughout our state. The Las Vegas Medical District represents a perfect ground for innovative, supportive partnerships. Pilot programs like the TANF Mental Health Pilot demonstrating cost-effectiveness could reshape insurance coverage policies. And Nevada state legislators increasingly recognize that investing in integrated care reduces long-term healthcare costs while improving outcomes, committing nearly $200 million to overhaul our state’s behavioral health care system.
Cure 4 The Kids Foundation stands at the forefront of this advocacy, working with policymakers to expand access statewide and demonstrating how integrated models can transform pediatric care.
Dr. Bello sees systemic change on the horizon: “Healthcare systems nationwide are recognizing what we’ve known for years: treating the mind and body separately is outdated medicine. Nevada has the opportunity to lead by example, showing how integrated behavioral health transforms pediatric care. The barriers are real, but they’re not insurmountable when we work together toward this common goal.”
Expanding Access to Pediatric Therapy Across Las Vegas and Beyond
At Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, our commitment to integrated care grows stronger with each family we serve, ensuring no aspect of a child’s wellbeing gets overlooked. We strongly believe that the comprehensive approach we model at our organization represents healthcare’s future.
We invite you to join this transformation. Whether through financial support, advocacy for policy change, or simply sharing this message with others, you can help ensure every Nevada child receives the integrated care they deserve.
Ready to make a difference? Donate today to support our behavioral health program at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation and help us continue building bridges between medical and emotional healing for Nevada’s children.
About the Author: Annette Logan-Parker brings over 30 years of experience in pediatric oncology to her role as Founder and Chief Advocacy & Innovation Officer at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. She has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for children with cancer and ensuring equitable access to cutting-edge treatments for all families.
About the Author: Dr. Danielle Bello brings over a decade of specialized experience in pediatric neuropsychology to her role as Director of Behavioral Health at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. A board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, she has dedicated her career to understanding how medical treatments affect children’s cognitive and emotional development, ensuring that every child receives comprehensive support for both their psychological and physical healing.
