Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2023 - 16

FEATURE /BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS
Transition specialists
At the University of Maryland Children's Hospital, a program
connects youths discharging from the psychiatric inpatient unit
with a transition specialist to help improve communication among
the hospital, schools and the patient's family. The transition
specialist attends school meetings and creates individualized plans
to reduce family stress and improve outcomes for the student. This
intervention has reduced 30-day readmissions, which is important
at a time when there are limited inpatient beds and staff. Initially,
the program was funded through a grant and has since become
part of the hospital's budget.
Post-discharge home care
The Massachusetts Department
of Mental Health launched an ED
diversion program in partnership
with community-based partners and
Boston Children's Hospital, which
reduces the length of boarding, frees
up limited hospital capacity, results
in low rates of return, and expedites
patient access to community support.
The program begins within 24 or 48
hours of discharge and lasts four to
eight weeks in the patient's home with
a community-based team. A clinician
helps with safety planning, family
support, regulation skills, coordination
of care and referral to long-term
support. A therapeutic specialist
works with the clinician regarding
community integration, managing
mental health, and improving
communication and social skills. And
lastly, a caregiver or parent offers
insight into parenting, community
connections and managing mental
health needs.
16
City-wide collaborative
In 2018, MultiCare Mary Bridge
Children's Hospital & Health Network
hosted a summit to address the growing
children's mental health crisis in its
community. More than 70 leaders and
frontline staff across multiple industries
participated in the summit to develop
a coordinated, responsive behavioral
health system. The result was a coalition
that today includes 800 members
spanning
more than 60
community
agencies. It
has several
goals, including
Learn about
more community
solutions at
childrenshospitals
.org/bhcommunity.
developing a one-stop collaborative
that serves as a single point of access
to child and adolescent mental
health service. In addition to monthly
meetings to advance the organization's
shared agenda, the collaborative
convenes regular multi-disciplinary
team meetings to discuss and execute
solutions for specific cases.
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Summer 2023
Free legal services
Youth with severe behavioral health
concerns often need legal support
to navigate the many systems that
affect their access to appropriate
care. These barriers can include
the time and cost associated with
care, delays in access, incomplete or
inaccurate information, or fear of the
health care system. To address this,
Health Law Advocates-a communitybased
legal services organization in
Massachusetts that provides free
legal representation to low-income
eligible families-established the
Mental Health Advocacy Program
(MHAP) for Kids. Working from family
resource centers across the state,
MHAP for Kids assists families with
access to insurance, representation
and advocating for necessary
accommodations. MHAP for Kids
has improved school attendance,
decreased hospitalizations, and
reduced the use of emergency mental
health services.
http://www.childrenshospitals.org/bhcommunity
Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2023
