HJNO Sep/Oct 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  SEP / OCT 2025 23 Trauma and loss exposure among youth in New Orleans is no secret, and the sta- tistics are staggering. New Orleans youth experience four times the national aver- age for rates of post-traumatic stress dis- order (PTSD). Forty percent report having witnessed a shooting, stabbing, or beating. Additionally, 54% have experienced the murder of someone close to them. 1 In fact, New Orleans ranks sixth in the nation for number of bereaved youths, 2 and it is estimated that one in eight Louisiana children will lose a parent before the age of 18. 3 And less than half of youth who expe- rience trauma receive any form of mental health services. 4 Plagued by both acute and chronic trauma, it’s no surprise that the long-term consequences of trauma show up in adoles- cents and young adults as depression, self- harm, failure in school, substance abuse, violent or criminal behavior, and intergen- erational trauma. Chronic trauma harms mental health, and children who are so fre- quently exposed to trauma and loss often have an increased risk of violent behavior and delinquency. THE FALLOUT OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA It is that exact path that leads many New Orleans youth to the city’s Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC), which serves as the juvenile detention center for Orleans Parish, providing safe and secure pre-trial detention to youth who are charged with committing a delinquent offense. The JJIC’s purpose is to provide quality detention and programming with a focus on public safety, accountability, and indi- vidual treatment. It provides educational, medical, mental health, and evidence-based treatment programming that supports every juvenile’s capacity to learn. These services focus on the best interest of the youth through a professional culture that holds them behaviorally accountable in a manner conducive to personal growth and development. Since 2019, Manning Family Children’s has served as the medical partner for the JJIC, providing both medical and behav- ioral health services for youth within the JJIC system, and providing continuity of care once youth leave the center. For many of the youth served, this is the first time they are receiving comprehensive pediat- ric health services, allowing for treatment of many unaddressed physical and men- tal health problems. Even though many of these youth are Medicaid-eligible, they often are not receiving care for a variety of rea- sons, including family instability, negligence, or simply limited access to transportation. Since 2021, the JJIC has housed 1,655 juveniles, the average being 413 per year. In 2024 the number of intakes dropped to 389 (from 529 in 2023), most likely due to the change in the laws allowing 17-year-olds to be tried as adults. The JJIC houses between 60 and 70 children ages 10–16 at a given time, but has had as many as 95 youth resid- ing in the facility at one time over recent years. That drastic increase occurred over Mardi Gras 2024 due to court delays related to the holiday. The JJIC relies on community partners to provide support and to create a network of stability that many of the youth residents have never experienced. COLLABORATION OFFERS HOPE FOR BETTER FUTURES Through the commitment of JJIC’s dedicated staff and community partners like Manning Family Children’s, youth are able to gain life skills and are mentored in a structured, therapeutic environment. “The kids crave guidance, consistency, and community. The JJIC provides intervention service, whereas the partners provide pre- vention services,”says Lee Reisman, super- intendent of Youth Supportive Services. Reisman is a licensed clinical social worker who understands the hardships the children of New Orleans face and wants to make sure kids have access to quality ser- vices. Building a network of support for young people is critical to their future. And proactive programming is at the heart of her efforts. With the help of the Young Art- ist Movement, for example, the JJIC has been able to beautify the space to achieve a family-like environment. The New Orleans Youth Coalition also provides sports pro- grams that help with conflict resolution. Travis Hill School provides education. And Manning Family Children’s provides on-site behavioral health and medical coverage, external referral management, and around- the-clock call coverage. What can be accomplished together is paving a way for a fresh start, and better futures for some of our most vulnerable kids. MULTIPRONGED APPROACH TO PREVENTION The partnership between Manning Fam- ily Children’s and the City of New Orleans Juvenile Justice Intervention Center is unique. Child, adolescent, and forensic- trained psychiatrists, dentists, physicians, nurse practitioners, and social workers pro- vide expert care on-site and on an ongoing basis. For many kids, it is the first time they have had access to comprehensive health- care services. Over the past five years, the dedicated staff of 18 has completed 2,545 medical visits, 5,421 psychiatric visits, and 3,222 social worker visits, all while youth are residing at the JJIC. In 2024 alone, there were 122 referrals for outpatient care, ensur- ing that any immediate, specialized health needs can be addressed in real time. Kiana Andrew Tregre, MD, MPH, plays an integral role in the work being done at the JJIC through the Manning Family Chil- dren’s partnership. Tregre is a board-certi- fied adult, child and adolescent, and foren- sic psychiatrist and an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine — but first and fore- most a native New Orleanian. She is one of a handful of professionals who provide forensic psychiatry and is committed to high-quality patient care within the walls