Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast · Nemours Children's Health

Ep. 167: Accessing Pediatric Mental Health Services (Part 1 of 2)

·32 min·2 clips

Nationwide says 97% of school behavioral-health referrals were managed in the center, cutting psychiatry waits by four months.

1. Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast uses Ep. 167, “Accessing Pediatric Mental Health Services (Part 1 of 2),” to examine school-based mental health access. 2. Carol Vassar speaks with Daniella Grattali, Associate Vice President of Federal Affairs at Nemours Children's Health, and Hannah Wagner, Senior Advisor for Policy Development and Partnerships at Nemours, because they helped shape the issue brief. 3. The episode asks what models can make pediatric mental health care easier to reach for children and families. 4. Daniella Grattali says Nemours built the brief after years of work with psychologists, clinicians, patient families, and national experts. 5. She also mentions a family roundtable with Secretary Becerra, Delaware federal and state leaders, and a later convening with school health leaders, foundations, policy leaders, and families. 6. Hannah Wagner says the brief highlights common approaches across models from around the country. 7. Wagner defines early relational health as helping young children and caregivers build strong, healthy relationships. 8. She says those relationships can support resilience and improve mental and physical health outcomes across the lifespan. 9. Wagner describes a second approach focused on early intervention through more convenient access to mental health services. 10. She names schools, primary care offices, and telehealth as places where services can meet children where they already are. 11. Wagner’s third approach is team-based multidisciplinary care for children's relational, developmental, physical, and mental health needs. 12. Dr. Mary-Kate Irwin says schools work because children already show up there and can use a school bus instead of needing separate transportation. 13. She also says care in schools helps clinicians observe the school environment and collaborate with other adults who work with the child. 14. Irwin explains Nationwide Children's uses primary care as the anchor, then layers in school-based behavioral health, specialty care, and telepsychiatry when needed. 15. She says the program includes 20 school-based health centers, two mobile units, and services for asthma, diabetes, and mobility challenges. 16. Dr. J. Jason Boyd says Nemours serves 17, going on 18, schools in Delaware from early education centers through grade eight. 17. Boyd says Nemours uses screenings for all students and typically offers a short-term intervention model built around a flexible eight-session approach. 18. Irwin says Nationwide’s Burrow Blueprint includes nine virtual modules, weekly psychiatrist case consultation, and a result that 97% of behavioral-health referrals were managed in the school-based health center. 19. The episode has an interview format with direct back-and-forth between the host and the clinicians, plus a practical, policy-focused tone. 20. Listeners interested in school-based health, pediatric behavioral care, and policy design will get the most from it, while people wanting only a brief general overview may skip it.

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