Pediatric Integrated Care: The Potential to Change a Life, a Future

BeWellPBC made strides in 2022 to advance pediatric integrated care (primary care integrated with behavioral health) in Palm Beach County and contribute to Florida-wide efforts. Together with Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches, we continue to provide technical and facilitation support for the Pediatric Integrated Care Community of Practice Project, two pediatrician pilot offices that are coming together with a multi-agency workgroup to identify opportunities and challenges for their practices, address specific systemic barriers to integrated care, and document a standard for care that is scalable for other practices.

We are taking action on:

Policy.

Collaborators (local pediatricians and the Florida Mental Health Advocacy Coalition with BeWellPBC) have drafted policy recommendations for the 2023 legislative agenda. Representative David Silvers has joined to champion the policy proposal.

Learning and Documentation.

BeWellPBC and Florida Atlantic University Integrated Medical Science have developed an exploratory project for documenting integrated care locally. A research team is exploring promising practices, barriers to care, and a comparison of procedures across various PBC doctor offices.

Community Connection. A group of parents/patients are meeting quarterly and serving as an advisory group and providing feedback on project efforts.

SIMPLE RULES IN ACTION: LISTEN

We are honoring the voices of parents by inviting them to the table with physicians, listening to how we can create a model of care that responds to the needs of families.

•Most children under age 18 present to primary care for psychiatric care needs.

•Half of primary care visits are related to psychosocial, emotional, and behavioral concerns.

•According to the CDC, without early diagnosis and treatment, children with mental health disorders can have problems at home, in school, and in forming friendships.

• Mental health disorders can also interfere with a child’s healthy development, causing problems that can continue into adulthood.