CHICAGO – Various agencies from the state of Illinois announced they are launching a new program designed to help pediatricians and other providers meet children’s mental health needs by strengthening mental health services in emergency departments and schools. The new program will focus on increasing the volume of consultation services provided across the state, providing a multitude of mental health education and training opportunities to physicians and health care professionals, and strengthening the network of mental health resources and referrals accessible to providers and their patients. The $2.5 million federally funded program is a partnership involving the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Human Services plus the University of Illinois Chicago’s DocAssist Program and the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The last few years have been challenging for all of us and this is especially true for our children,” said Governor Pritzker. “With these new dedicated resources, Illinois will better identify children who are suffering through mental health challenges and ensure they receive treatment and therapies that work while also addressing disparities in access to mental health treatment.”
The Illinois Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Expansion is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through two programs authorized by Congress, the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
UIC’s DocAssist program is a free statewide psychiatric consultation service for primary care providers who need assistance screening, diagnosing, and treating the mental health and substance use problems of children, adolescents, and perinatal women. The program is run by the UIC College of Pharmacy through an interagency agreement with the UIC Office of Medicaid Innovation and HFS. It is staffed by UIC’s Department of Psychiatry’s child psychiatrists, social workers, and administrative assistants and aims to assist primary care providers diagnose and treat mental health issues in children.
The program will support a range of pediatric primary care providers, including pediatricians, family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. With funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the program also can now support school-based health providers and emergency department providers who often are on the frontlines when children are in need.
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