CHDI NEWSLETTER
Issue Brief on School Mental Health
Issue Brief 55
CHDI's latest Issue Brief:
Addressing Students' Mental Health Needs: Stamford Public Schools' Comprehensive Trauma-Informed System explores how Stamford Public Schools responded to a series of suicides by building a trauma -informed model for school mental health that is resulting in better outcomes for students. The process, strategies, and lessons learned by Stamford Public Schools can help guide other districts seeking to improve their mental health services and supports.
Early Child Trauma Treatment Available at New Locations
Early Childhood Trauma Collaborative
An effective trauma treatment geared towards young children and their families is available at six community mental health centers in Connecticut (Clifford Beers, Charlotte Hungerford, Child Guidance Clinic of Central Connecticut, Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, Community Child Guidance Clinic, and Community Health Resources). Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) addresses trauma in young children (ages 6 and under) by intervening with the child and caregiver to help improve attachment, increase skills of self-regulation in the child, and ensure that children are on target developmentally. CHDI has trained clinicians to deliver ARC as part of the Early Childhood Trauma Collaborative grant funded by SAMHSA, and these providers have served 46 children and families since February.
CHDI to Help Pediatricians Adopt National ADHD Guidelines
CHDI will help  pediatric primary care practices diagnose ADHD in patients and connect them to the behavioral health care they need. Over the next year, CHDI will work with Connecticut   Children's Office for Community Child Health (OCCH), the Yale Child Study Center and the Connecticut Family Support Network to promote the following three practice changes at 10 Connecticut practices: 
  1. Improving rates of follow up of parents' concerns about inattention with initiation of validated assessment tools for ADHD 
  2. Ensuring that a diagnosis of ADHD includes assessment for co-existing conditions 
  3. Using medical home strategies for all children diagnosed with ADHD, including family support and linkage with community services
The one-year project is managed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported by an independent grant from Pfizer, Inc.  It is one five projects selected nationally to increase adoption of  national guidelines developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics on ADHD (Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of ADHD in Children and Adolescents).  After the grant period is completed, CHDI will continue this work through  Educating Practices in the Community (EPIC) trainings.
MD Magazine Features CHDI's Co-Management Tools
Several years ago CHDI developed a co-management of anxiety and depression  program to help pediatric primary care providers detect, assess and manage anxiety and depression in their patients. This program is the focus of a July 5, 2017 a rticle: " Mental Health Screening Tools Assist Pediatricians in Identifying Risk " published in MD Magazine. 
Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative Highlights CHDI
CHDI's role implementing children's mental health evidence-based practices with fidelity was featured in a fact sheet by the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative: 4 Ways Implementation Support Centers Assist in the Delivery of Evidence-Based Programs. Knowing states face challenges ensuring that evidence-based programs are effectively delivered, the fact sheet and other resources help states use an evidence-based policymaking approach. For many years CHDI has worked with  state agencies, academic partners, community-based providers, family advocates, and others to disseminate evidence-based practices for children with behavioral health concerns across Connecticut. Learn more about our implementation work.
Staff News
Heather Sapere
H eather Sapere is leaving CHDI this month to pursue an opportunity at an IT company that offers engineering and business solutions for the aerospace industry. Sapere was a Senior Data Analyst for the CBITS and TF-CBT initiatives, provided project coordination support for the CBITS initiative, as well as assisted on various other projects . We wish Heather success in her new position.
 
Stay tuned for an upcoming Issue Brief on co-managing primary and subspecialty care for children.

Child Health and Development Institute
860.679.1519 | [email protected]
www.chdi.org

Copyright ©2017. All Rights Reserved.