Better outcomes, improved health equity, and cost savings are three reasons why evidence-based children's mental health treatments should become the standard of care in Connecticut.

CHDI's President & CEO, Jeff Vanderploeg illustrated these points in a Hartford Courant op-ed, " There are ways to help children who suffer from mental health conditions, and we should make more use of them ." He cited a CHDI analysis of data from 45,000 children which found that evidence-based treatments resulted in greater improvements and reduced disparities in treatment outcomes compared to "usual care." The findings are further summarized in Issue Brief 71 , "Better than Usual (Care): Evidence-based Treatment Improve Outcomes and Reduce Disparities for Children of Color."

The foundation for mental health is laid in infancy and early childhood, but getting help when needed can be difficult for children under five. Current reimbursement regulations require the diagnosis of a disorder, making it difficult to deliver mental health interventions to very young children.

 

CHDI’s Issue Brief 73, "Ensuring Young Children Receive Mental Health Services: Barriers to Billing and Proposed Solutions ," looks at the unique mental health needs of very young children and identifies billing solutions that allow providers to address concerns early, before more serious problems develop.

CHDI's Associate Vice President for School and Community Initiatives, Jeana Bracey shares her expertise on how schools can engage families. She also discusses how the School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI) is helping to keep kids in the classroom and the importance of family engagement in the school responder model. Click here to watch the video produced by The National Center for Youth Opportunity and Justice.

CHDI’s Jason Lang shared his expertise on trauma and provided examples of implementing trauma-informed care in Connecticut with government officials and mental health providers in Denmark. Lang was invited to Odense, Denmark where he led a workshop for Denmark’s National Board of Social Services on how to integrate research and best practices about trauma into programs and areas of work across Denmark. Lang also presented to a national conference of psychologists at the University of Southern Denmark on “Trauma-Informed Care: Addressing Adversity and Promoting

Resiliency Across Child-Serving Systems.”

Lang, serves as CHDI’s Vice President for Mental Health Initiatives and helps lead Connecticut’s efforts to address child trauma . He is a nationally recognized expert who has published on child trauma, evidence-based practices and implementation science.

Congratulations to Diana Perry on her promotion to Senior Project Coordinator. Diana joined CHDI in December 2017 as Project Coordinator for Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). Since that time, Diana has been instrumental in expanding CBITS and Bounce Back to more than 50 schools and community-based settings in FY19. In her new role, Diana will coordinate CBITS, as well as provide support and training for the Project AWARE initiative . Diana has a Masters degree in Education and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, as well as extensive experience as a direct services clinician 

Jamie LoCourto joined CHDI this month as a Senior Associate and is responsible for overseeing implementation, quality improvement, evaluation and training on Project AWARE . Prior to joining CHDI, she completed a post-doctoral fellow position at UConn Health, where she managed a National Institute of Mental Health grant-funded project which examined the efficacy of three types of talk therapy in anxious and depressed adolescents. Jamie holds a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Community Psychology from Wichita State University and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Connecticut.

LeeAnn Waye joined CHDI last month as a Data Analyst. She works on Project AWARE to address mental health in CT schools. Prior to joining CHDI, LeeAnn worked for Foodshare, a major foodbank, to help battle hunger in Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from the University of Saint Joseph.

Suzanne Shea joined CHDI this month as Accounting Assistant. She will be supporting CHDI's finance, human resources and contracts areas. Suzanne has over twenty years’ accounting experience. Prior to joining CHDI, she worked for a property management company which provided affordable housing through state and federal funding to residents across the country. She also spent ten years working for a general contractor and served as an administrative fiscal assistant at the UCONN Health Center.