More than 1 in 5 youth live with a mental health condition, yet most never receive consistent care — including roughly 60% of those with major depressive disorder — and the gap is widest for economically disadvantaged, rural, and foster/system-involved youth. These youth are often labeled “hard to reach,” but the real problem is that care pathways were designed with adults in mind, not youth.

This panel brings together innovators, clinicians, implementation scientists, and peer supporters to explore how peer support can close care and trust gaps, meet youth where they are, and reach populations facing structural barriers to care, all without adding cost or complexity to existing systems.