Integrating Behavioral Health Care into an Urban Hospital-Based Pediatric Primary Care Setting.

Abstract

Integration of behavioral health into pediatric primary care clinics is a recommended practice with potential to address the mental health needs of underserved children. We describe our process of integrating a behavioral health team into our hospital-based pediatric practice that serves a low-income, ethnically diverse, and underserved population of children and youth in the southeastern U.S. We provide a summary of our four-year program evaluation of feasibility and acceptability of embedding a behavioral health team in our practice. We also discuss the challenges faced, including staff turnover and difficulty with billing for sustainability. Finally, we provide recommendations for pediatric clinics that seek to integrate behavioral health care into their practices.