07/14/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/14/2022 12:17
The NYS Office of Mental Health is collaborating with some of the top universities and hospitals in the state to expand access to Project TEACH (Training and Education for the Advancement of Children's Health) an innovative program that helps New York's pediatric primary care providers deliver care to children and families who experience mild-to-moderate mental health concerns.
OMH is partnering with University Psychiatric Practice (UPP), which is a collaboration led by University at Buffalo's Department of Psychiatry, and includes faculty psychiatrists from the University of Rochester, Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, SUNY Upstate, Zucker School of Medicine/Northwell Health, Albany Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, "Pediatricians and family practice doctors are often the first place families go to seek help or information if they have concerns about their children's emotional or behavioral health. Project TEACH connects pediatric primary care providers with psychiatrists and other behavioral healthcare experts for consultation, referrals to services and education and training on children's social and emotional development. Our new contract with the University Psychiatric Practice will help expand the services provided through Project TEACH and help more children and families address any mental health concerns they may have."
Dr. David L. Kaye, Professor of Psychiatry at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the Executive Director of Project TEACH, said, "The pandemic turned the shortage of mental health providers into a national crisis, and it has hit children and new mothers particularly hard. Project TEACH brings mental health treatment for these vulnerable populations to every corner of New York State by bolstering the skill sets of the health care professionals these patients already know and trust."
Under the new contract, UPP will take several steps to help expand and strengthen Project TEACH, including:
OMH launched Project TEACH in 2010, to help pediatric primary care providers to ask questions about any of their cases involving children and adolescents. Questions can be specific to a particular patient; diagnosis and treatment for a specific mental health disorder; use of a particular medication or other treatment strategy; or general questions about topics in child psychiatry and/or behavioral health.
Project TEACH provides: