Presenter: Leah Colburn, Program Manager, DHS Div of Substance Abuse and Mental Health - Children's Services
DSAMH oversees 13 MH authorities across the state. They provide services over the entire lifespan. The Children’s Services continuum includes:
- Outpatient
- Day/IOP
- School based behavioral health
- Peer support (Family Resource Facilitators)
- Medication management
- MCOT mobile crisis response
- SMR
DSAMH contracts with other local agencies/authorities for residential care, and work with hospitals for acute services. Primarily work with those on Medicaid or unfunded. However, most of the local authorities also work with private insurance.
All local authorities do school-based, but it varies.
- Clinicians (360 schools have therapists on site, 39 of 42 districts have this in place). Grants to help un- and under-funded youth.
- Group
- Not service in a silo: BH in conjunction with school counselor, others. All were able to provide telehealth services when Covid hit. Alpine and Bear River (Cache, BE and Rich counties) … pilot program doing telehealth (pre-covid).
Also working early childhood/infant mental health (family systems work). Also the 16-20 yo range, transitioning into adult behavioral health. Have a team dedicated to that.
A number of families have lost their jobs and insurance, so they are eligible for and need to apply for Medicaid.
How should families access help from the state?
- If the school has services, that’s a good avenue
- Schools must have more than one option for families/students, too
- Contact the local authority directly. Leah will send the contacts for the children’s services - warm handoffs are good
Gina: has heard that many kids who were getting face to face services refused to do telehealth after Covid because there wasn’t privacy. Alternatives? Leah: all DSAMH therapists are currently seeing patients face to face as necessary, including day treatment.
Heather, Wasatch - their therapists are doing both telehealth and in person; having to create a contract with families and patients for productive telehealth visits - problems have included patients not dressed, not really awake (in bed).
App that the state has licensed for those 13 yo and older - provides support. MyStrength. Emotional Relief line from Intermountain. Questions - reach out to Leah and Eric at the Division. They want to get children and youth the right services at the right time.
