Pediatric Mental Health Care Access

The Iowa Academy of Family Physicians is pleased to be able to partner with the Iowa Chapter of the American Academyof Pediatrics to increase awareness of and access to Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) programs to Iowa family physicians, pediatricians and other primary care providers, and support efforts to advance the sustainability of PMHCA programs. This is made possible through a grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) who is partnering with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide grant funding to AAFP chapters. Please look for more information in the magazine, on our website and stay tuned for information about upcoming webinars that will provide details about Pediatric Mental Health Care Access programs in Iowa.

The Iowa Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative supports primary care providers in their treatment of children and youth with mild to moderate mental health needs within their medical home. Project activities include webinars and trainings, consultations with a University of Iowa child and adolescentpsychiatrist and expanding access to telepsychiatry services.

Workforce Development- Webinars and Trainings

Approximately ten webinars are held each year on topics specific to children and youth with mental health diagnoses including anxiety and depression, behavior problems, eating disorders, and adverse childhood experiences. All webinars offer participants Continuing Education credit.In addition, trainings on evidenced-based child and adolescent therapies are offered including, IoWA Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Parent Management Training, Unified Protocol for Children and Adolescents and Collaborative and Proactive Solutions.

 

Consultations

Primary care providers can consult with a University of Iowa Child Psychiatrist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through UI Consult.

Common questions include:

•Are there other medication options for this specific clinical problem?
•What guidance can I give parents?
•Are there resources for a specific clinic problem?
•What is an approach to use for a child having school issues?
•What screening tools could I use?

 

Telepsychiatry

The Iowa Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative strengthens Iowa’s existing child psychiatry telehealth
network by providing direct services to children and youth with moderate to severe mental health
needs.

Program staff have also developed an online resource and referral database. Visit www.chsciowa.org
for more information.