Pediatric Patients and Families in Massachusetts Benefit from Early Childhood Mental Health Pilot Program

The Massachusetts Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) grantee¹ piloted a program to integrate behavioral health and primary care into two community health centers in Boston, and in the pediatric primary care clinic at Boston Medical Center.² The pilot implemented simple but significant changes to help staff at these centers provide mental health services more effectively to children ages birth to 8 years and their families. Preliminary evaluation findings show reduced parental stress levels and symptoms of depression as well as improvements in children’s social and emotional health. The evaluation not only shows improvements for those involved in the program, it indicates that this approach can be applied in a variety of settings. 

The pilot used a new approach—the Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Medical Home Model—at the three sites. The model’s key elements include adding a Family Partner and ECMH Clinician as staff; adapting and integrating staff, activities, and services into the existing pediatric primary care setting; holistic service delivery; a focused, family-centered approach that brings a family’s  perspective to their children’s care; and promotion and prevention activities. Participating practitioners and families have praised this model for helping them deliver and receive the best possible care. One pediatrician said, “We didn’t have the capacity to address the specific age group that Project LAUNCH is able to target. Our options for supporting families preventively have much improved with the addition of Project LAUNCH.”

The program helped all staff—including nurses, doctors, office managers, and other practitioners—to be more responsive to early childhood mental health needs through the development of tailored service delivery protocols with accompanying resources and tools.

This pilot also focused on building relationships outside the exam room between the family and provider. The sites launched activities such as Family Nurturing Programs, playgroups, and homeless caregivers support groups that are not typically part of pediatric care settings but are important to building the types of patient–provider connections needed to improve a child’s mental health. In addition, sites undertook promotional activities including marking Mental Health Awareness Day and holding community outings, parent walking groups, and Family Game Night. One site continues to hold a monthly family game night, an activity that has grown in popularity since its introduction. These activities varied across the three centers, but all of the activities aimed to build relationships and facilitate trust between families and providers.

The grantee staff hopes to continue this important work on behalf of Massachusetts children and families by identifying sustainable ways to continue funding the program, including through partnerships with insurance providers and state policy makers. The Family Partner and ECMH Clinician positions are continuing in two of the three pilot sites and these positions have been written into other grants and programs throughout Massachusetts. Initially funded through grants, the Boston Public Health Commission now funds the Director of Early Childhood and Family Mental Health position.

Read more about it in their Case Study and the Early Childhood Mental Health Toolkit: Integrating Mental Health Services into the Pediatric Medical Home.