Integration of Mental Health Services in Primary Care Settings in Low-Income Neighborhoods: Lessons from New York City Project LAUNCH

Young children living in low-income communities face a higher risk of mental health (MH) problems due the negative effects of family economic hardship on parent MH and parenting behaviors.  This presentation will describe the social determinant of poverty via presentation of the structure and findings of New York City (NYC) Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health), an initiative that uses a public health approach to address the MH needs of low-income families.

A key component of this initiative is the integration of MH services in pediatric primary care (PC) settings through a collaboration involving a community-based organization; PC sites; and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.  At PC sites, children up to age 8 receive a social-emotional screening, as a part of wellness visits, and bilingual MH professionals are co-located to provide MH evaluations, short-term treatment, and referrals.  This initiative successfully screened over 1,300 children annually, and among those children, in average, 25% of children had positive screens and 30 % received evaluations from the MH clinicians.  About 60% of children with positive screening also completed referred follow-up services at a one-month check in point.

This presentation will examine successful features of this city-led initiative based on a literature review of similar initiatives; analysis of project referral data; and qualitative interviews with mental health professionals, pediatricians and project staff.