Nevada Child and Family Services receives $2.19 million to improve rural mental health services
Submitted by editor on Tue, 10/02/2018 - 10:04am
CARSON CITY — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration awarded $2.19 million to the Division of Child and Family Services for the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program, officials announced Tuesday.
The 5-year grant will promote behavioral health integration in pediatric primary care by supporting the development of new and the improvement of existing statewide or regional pediatric mental health care telehealth access programs.
“Our partnerships with System of Care, Mental Health Consortiums, Behavioral Health Policy Boards, Nevada Universities, Youth MOVE, and Nevada PEP will allow us to implement this program appropriately and effectively within the 5-year period”, Cara Paoli, Deputy Administrator Children’s Mental Health Services.
One of the most prevalent unmet health needs for the children and adolescents in Nevada is mental health.
The Grant initiatives include but are not limited to:
— Use of the existing structure of the statewide Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) to expand to target populations by utilizing and expanding the current telehealth systems and procedures.
— Specialty mental health consultation teams to support pediatric psychiatric consultations for youth in rural and underserved urban areas.
— A statewide consultation “warm line” will be established for staff to receive, triage and connect the callers with consultation teams and referral sources when necessary.
The Division is excited to work with the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program to expand services and improve mental health outcomes for children in rural and frontier Nevada.
