SIMON WILE SYMPOSIUM: FOCUS ON DIVERSITY AND EQUITY THROUGH A PEDIATRIC COLLABORATIVE AND INTEGRATED CARE LENS

Abstract

The goal of this year’s Simon Wile Symposium will be to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion through the lens of pediatric collaborative and integrated care. National experts will share their experiences and perspectives in building systems to collaborate with pediatric primary care providers (PCPs), working within and improving regional child health and mental health systems to improve health equity. Given national trends of focus on systemic racism and on racial and ethnic disparities, our Center for Inclusive Child Care (CICC) committee discussed possible invitees who had developed innovative programs to target improved access to care for children in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and Latinx populations. The literature on child psychiatry access programs was also reviewed, resulting in the current Symposium submission. Presentations this year will focus on programs that are as follows: 1) evaluating the impact of social determinants on ADHD symptoms among a racially and ethnically diverse population of preschoolers in primary care settings; 2) implementing collaborative and integrated care through a Federally Qualified Health Center for a racially and ethnically diverse population of children; and 3) targeting improving health equity among racially and ethnically diverse populations including BIPOC and Latinx populations. As child and adolescent psychiatrists continue to work to address the significant child mental health needs in communities across the country, we have increasingly found child psychiatry collaborative and integrated care to be a valuable tool in helping pediatric PCPs care for children and families struggling with mental health issues. We believe that this can also be a valuable tool in improving health equity. Our speakers will share innovations in their access programs that have allowed them to reach new and underserved populations, better engage PCPs, and carefully build systems of collaborative care.