Primary care settings are a critical part of identifying and treating children’s mental health on the front lines, but many pediatricians are not specially trained or do not have the time to diagnose or treat mental health issues.
In health systems where psychologists are scarce, clinicians are finding new ways to connect with patients remotely. Dustin Sarver, PhD, a child clinical psychologist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, helped launch a pediatric mental health hotline called Child Access to Mental Health and Psychiatry (CHAMP) that providers Children’s primary care providers can call for help in managing children’s mental health. .
Any pediatric primary care provider in Mississippi can consult free of charge with psychologists and other mental health clinicians by telephone before, during or after appointments to discuss diagnosis, treatment and referrals. “When it’s not possible to integrate a psychologist into the medical team, the hotline allows us to be the clinician down the hall without being there physically,” Sarver said. In the future, the helpline will expand to offer psychological support in schools and plans to launch a perinatal mental health consultation line.
To ensure every child gets the support they need, Geisinger Health System of Pennsylvania trains pediatric primary care providers to recognize and respond to mental health concerns. Many pediatric clinics also have in-house psychologists who can immediately come into exam rooms or visit families via telehealth, so that a child can be triaged to an appropriate level of care – for example, an evaluation the same day by a mental health clinician, referral to an urgent appointment or transition to emergency care.
“It is important that our primary care clinics address mental health because children see their providers regularly for visits in health and in sickness,” said Elizabeth Seasock, MD, psychiatrist at Geisinger Health System. “Even if a child comes in with strep throat, they are screened or assessed for mental health issues and can get the support they need. »
