Page 21 - Delaware Medical Journal - March/April 2020

PUBLIC HEALTH
The Delaware Children’s Department has received a five-year, $2.225 million grant from the federal Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide pediatric primary care prescribers with child psychiatry consultation and behavioral health training. The Delaware Child Psychiatry Access Program, or DCPAP for short, began recruiting pediatric- serving primary care practitioners in August 2019.
Through the grant, pediatric-serving primary care providers may request a telephone consultation with a
relief by mental health professionals
and primary care professionals alike,” consulting child psychiatrist. “There are a number of mental health practices and in-home or in-school support services in Kent and Sussex Counties which have no ready access to a psychiatric mental health agencies have been losing their own prescribers, and their patients have become increasingly dependent upon primary care professionals
for prescribing their psychiatric medications while they wait on long lists to see a child psychiatrist or a child psychiatry advanced practice nurse.”
One of the providers who has used the consultation service wrote, “I
feel the DCPAP and our work with Dr. Borer has been a complete game changer for our families. Dr. Borer has been instrumental in expanding our work in mental health. The access line has allowed our practice to move to the forefront of mental health care for our pediatric population. We
have been able to assess and provide care for more patients within our medical home. We have also been able to manage those families that find themselves in a mental health crisis without needing to refer. This has not only improved access to more timely
“I have found the idea of a child psychiatry
access line to be universally well-received, with exclamations of relief by mental health professionals and primary care professionals alike”
— Dr. Mark Borer
Child Psychiatrist or information
about community resources from
the program’s licensed Behavioral Specialist. The consultations often focus on questions about diagnosis, medications, screenings, and treatment choices for behavioral health disorders. The services assist pediatric primary care prescribers in expanding their skill and comfort level in managing their patients’ behavioral health disorders in their office, as opposed
to referring their patients to limited psychiatry services that may take months to access.
“I have found the idea of a child psychiatry access line to be universally well-received, with exclamations of
“Some youth are not even able to get on a waiting list because most child psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs
work in practices dedicated to a select group of practicing mental health professionals. For these youth and
their families, access of their primary care prescribing professionals to a child psychiatry access line makes the difference between the primary care professional being willing to prescribe or not. The child psychiatry access line is the only way right now for many
of these children and adolescents to obtain their psychiatric medications and updated support and education regarding the specific psychiatric issues with which these youth are presenting. It is becoming a lifeline!”
care but exceeds the care that some
of the families receive with other community providers. Our families are so grateful that we can address both their physical and emotional well-being in our practice, [which] has expanded its mission to become the leader in community-based mental care for children.”
The parent of one youth wrote,
“When we raised concerns about our daughter’s depression, [her physician] immediately made arrangements for
a consult with Dr. Borer through the DCPAP access line. The information shared between our team and Dr. Borer has been life-changing for our family. Thank you!”
Del Med J | March/April 2020 | Vol. 92 | No. 2
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