LVHN-sponsored Video ‘Give Me Shelter: Teens in Crisis’ Receives Regional Emmy®

“Give Me Shelter: Teens in Crisis,” co-produced by Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) Department of Psychiatry and eMediaWorks, a Lehigh Valley educational media company, won a Mid-Atlantic regional Emmy® award in the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS)–Mid-Atlantic Chapter Societal Concerns long form category. The film is part of a series and underscores the mental health crisis among teenagers, explores the challenges facing today's youth and discusses solutions to help. The production was made possible with generous support from LVHN’s Michael and Christine Perrucci Center for Children’s Health and Well-being.

This year’s film originally aired on WFMZ Feb. 17, 2024. Teri Haddad, from eMediaWorks, and Edward Norris, MD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry at LVHN, were co-planners. LVHN physicians Elizabeth Mutter, DO; Dhanalakshmi Ramasamy, MD; and Maria G. Aramburu de la Guardia, MD, appeared in the film as well as licensed professional counselor Thespina Godshalk. The Societal Concerns award, along with those in many other categories, was presented Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown.

A previous installment in the series, “Give Me Shelter: Suicide” received the regional Emmy award in the Societal Concerns long form category in 2023. This film’s production was also supported by the Perrucci Center.

“The Give me Shelter series is designed to bring hope to people suffering with public health issues,” Dr. Norris says. “We’re proud of this recognition and of LVHN’s commitment to working with local partners to address growing mental health concerns throughout the communities we serve. We hope the award brings more attention to this critical issue.” 

The Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards celebrate excellence in television production in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. There are 19 Regional Emmy Chapters across the country, and peers in the industry judge the entries. The objective is to recognize outstanding achievements in television and allied media in the chapter’s designated award region.

The topic of the “Give me Shelter: Teens in Crisis” series is especially relevant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths due to suicide and homicide, often referred to collectively as violent deaths, have been a leading cause of premature death to people age 10–24 in the United States. Depression is also rising. Thirteen percent of U.S. teens ages 12 to 17 (or 3.2 million) said they had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year, up from 8 percent (or 2 million) in 2007, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.