About 10-14% of children, or more than 7.5 million children in the United States, have a chronic health condition which may include arthritis, diabetes, asthma, cancer, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy and AIDS. For some children and families, the stress of dealing with a chronic illness can lead to anxiety, depression, behavioral problems at home or school. Families look to the specialty medical teams not only for medical management but also for services to assist them in managing the emotional impact of a chronic condition on the child and family. The medical teams and families have not had a systematic way of knowing which mental health clinicians have an interest and experience in working with children with chronic illness. Furthermore, in rural areas where health services are frequently concentrated in larger population areas, it is difficult to identify community-based counselors.
Families of children with chronic health conditions in Vermont and New Hampshire have identified a need for community-based mental health services. This poster will describe the project undertaken to identify and develop a directory of counselors experienced with chronic health conditions in children. The long-term goals of this project are to facilitate networking between professionals and families with children with chronic illness, develop collaborative trainings and support among mental health and medical professionals to improve skills and knowledge of chronic illness, and measure clinical indicators of those children receiving emotional support to evaluate outcomes.
Learning Objectives: Participants will: 1. Define at least two barriers to accessing mental health services by children with chronic conditions and their families living in rural areas. 2.Identify at least one strategy for improving access to mental health services by children with chronic conditions and their families living in rural areas
Keywords: Mental Health Services, Children With Special Needs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Hood Center for Children and Families at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.