Resource to Support Behavioral Health
Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA)
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) was awarded the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) grant, a five-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The project will promote early childhood mental health (ECMH) integration into pediatric primary care by enhancing the ECMH capacity of the MA Child Psychiatry Access Project (MCPAP), centering family engagement and equity. DPH will partner with the MCPAP team at UMass Medical Center, the Department of Mental Health, MassHealth, and the Young Children’s Council to:
- establish and train an Early Childhood MCPAP team, including a part time psychiatrist and full time ECMH clinician, to provide consultation to primary care practices;
- provide training and case consultation using the ECHO model to enable primary care provider teams to support the behavioral health needs and wellness of children under 6 years old (including the evidence-based Pyramid Model and DC:0-5);
- and provide enhanced ECMH tools and resources and linkages to the early childhood and family support system.
