Abstract
The integration of mental health and pediatric health care services has long been a goal for both research and practice. With the advent of federal policies developed to mandate clinical efficiency across the health care spectrum, this issue is becoming more salient. Applied literature on this topic is only recently emerging, however, and there are limited contextual examples to guide program development, research, and refinement. This article presents background information relevant to the development of such a program (the Center for Advancement of Youth). The cultural and organizational contexts for the project are discussed, with particular emphasis on models for cooperation among several institutions of varying size and scope. The implications for the future of tangible research in this area are also discussed, with attention to extending lessons learned to diverse settings motivated to integrate various aspects of health care service provision.
Funding
This project was funded in part by a contract with the Mississippi Division of Medicaid through a grant from CMS.
Notes
1 A forthcoming article will discuss the process of cooperation between the administrators, providers, and public payer system that led to this allocation of funds, but further detail is beyond the scope of the current article.
2 Please contact the first author for a comprehensive list of instrumentation if interested.