Adolescent Medicine
Community Pediatrics
Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
General Pediatrics
Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health
Mental Health
Public Health
School and Community Health
Laura Shipley, MD (she/her/hers)
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Golisano Children's Hospital at The University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, New York, United States
Michael Scharf, MD (he/him/his)
Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Psychiatrist-in-Chief
Psychiatry and Pediatrics
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Rochester, New York, United States
Session
Description: Pediatric Behavioral/Mental Health: Responding to the Crisis through Prevention, Promotion and Intervention ApproachesThe purpose of this inaugural in-person SIG is to promote new opportunities for collaboration, research, training and networking across multiple disciplines focused on pediatric behavioral health. The session will feature an interactive poster session and facilitated discussion.
Escalating behavioral and mental health challenges across all pediatric age groups and populations constitute a crisis in health care that requires inter-professional collaboration and innovation. While a lack of access to acute and ongoing mental health services is a reality that impacts children and families across our entire nation, regardless of socio-economic and regional variation, there are certain populations who face additional barriers. Such barriers include high poverty rates, elevated exposure to violence and trauma, substance abuse, and silos between health and education systems that serve children who are under-resourced and at highest risk. The reality of long waiting lists for access to behavioral health practitioners and available services further exacerbates the problem and points to the imminent need to strengthen preventive and primary care treatment approaches to help our children, youth, and families.
A call for posters will be conducted to highlight successful and innovative approaches to behavioral health, including prevention and universal screening in primary care and community settings; integrated and aligned primary and specialty care behavioral health services; cross-systems collaboration with behavioral health services in childcare, early education settings and schools; the promotion of trauma-informed approaches and protective factors/skills building for children and families; and inter-professional training opportunities and education models for clinicians of all disciplines and community partners.