The Healthy Tomorrows project represents a true collaboration between Child Psychiatry and Pediatrics. Leaders in both departments have been working together to address implementation issues and plan for sustainability. As part of this project, the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), a mental health screening tool, was introduced into the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) pediatric clinic and a mental health flyer was created to educate parents about child mental health issues.¹ To address language barriers, the tool and flyer were translated into 5 different languages (French, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Hindi, and Spanish). If a child scores above the cut-point on the PSC, they are likely to have a mental health issue that requires intervention. A clinical social worker from the Department of Child Psychiatry is available on site in the clinic to take referrals once a child has been identified as needing additional services.  The social worker can also coordinate care between school nurse and primary care provider.

In the continuum that defines effective mental health care; screening, assessment, and referral are all components, with collaboration and communication as essential ingredients.  In today’s challenging health care system, the need for collaboration is no longer a choice, but a necessity.  One in ten children in the United States suffers from mental health problems that can have long-term and even life-long impact on the child and their families.  The Surgeon General specifically called upon pediatricians to improve screening and referral for child mental illness and the Institute for Community Health responded to the challenge.² As seen from our experience, when Child Psychiatry and Pediatrics work together in a coordinated fashion, they are better able to address the social and emotional needs of children. We are doing just that!

¹ Jellinek MS, Murphy JM Screening for psychosocial disorders in pediatric practice. AJDC; 1988;142:153-117.

² U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1999). Mental Health: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health.

Healthy Tomorrows flow chart

View PSC in French, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Spanish.

View mental health flyer in French, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Spanish.