May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to spotlight both the need for behavioral health support and the resources available to help people and families thrive. In that spirit, Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital is expanding access to trauma- and grief-informed care through its new membership in the National Trauma & Grief (TAG) Network — part of a national initiative to strengthen how children’s hospitals respond to trauma, loss, and bereavement.
The Big Picture
Across Utah and the nation, trauma and loss affect countless children — and the impact can be lifelong without the right support. In Utah, about 1 in 15 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. While grief is a natural response, experts say children who grieve without adequate support face higher risks of academic challenges, relationship difficulties, substance use, post-traumatic stress, depression, and increased suicide risk.
What’s Happening
Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital has become the first member of the National Trauma & Grief (TAG) Network in the Western United States — and the fourth in the nation — joining other network hospitals in Michigan, Louisiana, and Texas. The TAG Network is led by the Trauma and Grief Center (TAG Center) at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (Dallas, Texas) and is designed to standardize and implement best-practice treatments for children and teens who have experienced trauma or the loss of a loved one.
Primary Children’s membership brings ongoing trainings, consultation, and technical assistance in evidence-based assessment and intervention — strengthening the services available to Utah families as part of the hospital’s TAG Network affiliation.
This work is supported by an investment from the New York Life Foundation, which is helping expand the national network and increase access to high-quality trauma and bereavement care.
Why It Matters
Primary Children’s has long been committed to trauma-informed care — including decades of work through the Center for Safe and Healthy Families and a nationally recognized Care Process Model for Pediatric Traumatic Stress that helps connect kids to behavioral health services when they need it.
But TAG Network membership is a major step forward: it connects Utah’s children and families to the nation’s only evidence-based intervention designed specifically for bereaved children — Multidimensional Grief Therapy (MGT) — and helps ensure that grief-focused support is available as part of Primary Children’s broader trauma- and behavioral health services.
During National Mental Health Awareness Month, this message is especially urgent: kids don’t have to navigate trauma or loss alone, and families should know where to turn for help.
The Bottom Line
Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital’s membership in the National Trauma & Grief (TAG) Network expands access to best-practice trauma and grief care for Utah families — backed by national expertise, training, and support.
If you’re concerned about the impact of trauma or loss on your child and are interested in trauma-focused or grief-focused therapy, contact Intermountain Primary Children’s Center for Safe and Healthy Families at 801-662-3606 during regular business hours. For other behavioral health services, call the Intermountain Primary Children’s Assessment, Referral and Consultation Services (ARCS) line at 385-478-2400.