NH Mental Healthcare Access in Pediatrics

Mental health disorders in NH’s pediatric population ranks high compared to national averages. According to the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health, 30.3% of NH youth had one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental condition, and of those, only 51.5% received mental health treatment or counseling within the past year.

The goals of the NH Mental Health Care Access in Pediatrics (NH MCAP) program are to:

• Train, educate, and support NH's health care providers to identify and care for children with mental health conditions.
• Enable front-line health providers to receive provider teleconsultation services about the identification and treatment of children with a mental health condition.
• Enhance delivery of services through the creation of a referral directory of all pediatric mental/behavioral health services and supports.

MCAP ensures that more children have access to behavioral health care screening, diagnosis, treatment, and referral.

Teleconsultation Services

• The NH MCAP Access Line is your connection to provider-to-provider child psychiatry support. Launching in July 2024, teleconsults will be available to primary care providers that care for children and adolescents in NH and will be provided by phone, during regular business hours.

How does it work?

• PCP needs support managing pediatric behavioral health. Support needs may be patient-specific or general such as diagnosis, medication, and treatment options.
• PCP or support staff call the Access Line at 603-650-4741 to schedule a provider-to-provider phone consultation.
• The Dartmouth Health Patient Service Center staff will ask:
  • Provider details and direct call back number (back office or cell)
  • Patient details- Name, DOB, insurance, zip code
  • Scheduling availability
• The Dartmouth Health Children's Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist returns call at scheduled time to complete the requested Teleconsult. Most consults are scheduled within 1-3 business days and last about 15 minutes. PCPs can bill for time spent preparing and completing the consult using CPT code 99452.
• Consult note with recommendations is e-faxed to the PCP.

Access the NH MCAP Frequently Asked Questions and Workflow/How it Works documents to learn more.

Registering for the NH MCAP Teleconsult Access Line

Registration is free and takes just a few minutes. Your registration helps the MCAP team, funders, and stakeholders understand the reach of NH MCAP and to plan for future needs and opportunities. Registering also streamlines and expedites the intake process for your future consultations. Register here.

NH MCAP Teleconsults to Schools

NH MCAP connects school professionals with child and adolescent behavioral health experts who understand the specific challenges and needs of schools. Consults are available at no cost to those who work in K-12 schools in NH and are provided by appointment, over the phone. Complete this form to schedule your Teleconsult.

Training & Education

• MCAP provides no-cost online learning communities using the Project ECHO model to help primary care teams and school professionals better support NH children and adolescents with mental health concerns. Visit the MCAP didactic library to view recordings of previous sessions.
  • Primary Care ECHO: Managing Pediatric Depression- Join us the 3rd Thursday of each month from 12-1 PM, Feb-Sept 2024. Each Zoom session will include a brief didactic training followed by a case presentation/discussion with pediatric mental health subject matter experts. Learn more and register.
  • School ECHO: Empowering Educators: Strategies for Staff Well-Being ECHO - 
    Educators are increasingly being asked to build knowledge and skills to meet the behavioral health needs of their students – but are we adequately preparing them for the personal impact of this critical work? Join us for one session or all eight to learn practical strategies to process difficult situations. This ECHO learning community will take place on Wednesdays from 8:00-9:00 AM from October 2nd through November 20th, 2024. Learn more and register.

Technical Assistance

• MCAP is supporting implementation of the Collaborative Care Model for pediatrics at a pilot site in NH by providing access to training, psychiatric consultation, a no-cost registry tool, and other technical assistance. Read more about how to get involved.

Resources

• Find Services and Supports (NH Children's Behavioral Health Resource Center)
• Review recent MCAP reports:
  • "Mental Health Care Access for NH Youth: A Comparison of Two Models" by Katherine Lipp, Maya Gelting et al. (unh.edu)
  • "The Current State of Behavioral Health in Primary Care for NH Youth" by Katherine Lipp, Delitha Watts et al. (unh.edu)
  • "NH Children and Teens Experiencing Mental Health Disorders: An Analysis" by Bethany Swanson, Erica-Lyn Plante et al. (unh.edu)
  • Stay tuned for provider resources in development!