Personalized portal for caregivers of children and youth with behavioral health needs
Goals
Eliminate Crisis-Driven, Siloed Services: Our state has diverse and disconnected access points for families with behavioral health needs. Many services require an imminent crisis for eligibility. Outcomes will improve with a “no wrong door,” upstream approach that links multiple agencies and services from a family-centered perspective.
Build healthier families: Families of children with complex developmental behavioral health challenges need additional supports to find appropriate interventions earlier and minimize trauma from inappropriate interventions. This is especially true for our most vulnerable populations, including those with ADHD, autism, adoption, brain injuries, fetal substance exposure, and other complex childhood experiences.
Reduce waiting periods and areas of limited access: Our workforce shortage is creating limited service access and long waits. Outcomes improve when caregivers receive training, but how and where to find family training is also confusing. This portal becomes a hub for information sharing and will highlight areas of need for improvement.
Reduce stigma: Stigma impacts access to services and causes trauma. Access to information, services, and training reduces stigma within families and communities.
What does BH360 do?
Provides information to enable action.
Caregivers “discover their path” using the screening tools to identify what information will be most impactful, given their circumstances and a child’s observed behaviors.
Helps families find providers.
The screener leads the user to information about behavioral health problem areas and local providers, narrowing the search based on insurance and specialized needs.
Helps families advocate for better services and systems.
Caregivers learn about behavioral health conditions and evidence-based strategies for treating them. They learn about patient and family rights and how to advocate for necessary, high-quality services. They can join others working on system advocacy.
Encourages community connections.
In person and online community forums and support groups connect parents to peers and groups tailored for specific behavioral health concerns. Family needs are addressed regardless of family structure: single parents, siblings, kinship families and others can seek the forum that is the best fit for their needs.
Why BH360?
Rates of suicide, waiting lists to access care, and state dependency are increasing for young people in Washington. Access to providers is incredibly limited: 41% of WA counties do not have a licensed behavioral health provider. Children ages 6-13 with serious behavioral health issues wait an average of 144 days for access to services. This limited access exacerbates inequalities. Empowering caregivers early can prevent long-term problems.
BH360 collaborating partners: Washington State Community Connectors; Washington Mental Health Summit; RPrime Foundation; Healthy Minds, Healthy Futures
Funding
This parent-inspired idea received $100,000 in seed money from a private donor, $150,000 from RPrime Foundation, and $150,000 from the WA State Legislature. These initial funds enabled us to design a proof of concept website in partnership with a pediatric clinical psychologist, a racial justice consultant, and a project executive. BH360 was introduced to the public at the 2022 WA Mental Health Summit. A state budget proviso in support of additional funding is being considered.
We continue to seek funding from donors who want to help us quickly build out this much-needed foundational tool for families.
$360k will build…
Our next step is a pilot project, which targets children ages 0-14 in Kent, WA and Yakima County. These two communities provide an opportunity to show the potential of Behavioral Health 360 to support families from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds. This work neatly connects with the state’s behavioral health strategic planning process and will help create feedback about service gaps and the real-world needs of families seeking services and support for their children.