Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Non-Construction - KVC Health Systems, Inc., is requesting funding to support a collaborative technology project with subsidiaries KVC Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., and KVC Hospitals, Inc. (doing business as Camber Children’s Mental Health). This project will strengthen mental health intervention practices in foster care across Kansas and elevate its technology platform to strengthen communication on our inpatient, psychiatric treatment hospital campus. In today’s fast-paced clinical environments, the integration of new technology is vital for enhancing patient care and streamlining therapeutic processes. However, the success of these technological implementations hinges on ease-of-use. For technology to be effectively adopted in clinical settings, it must be intuitive and user-friendly as healthcare professionals often juggle multiple tasks, from patient assessments to treatment planning. Introducing complex technology can add to their workload, creating resistance and reducing overall efficiency. Technology designed for clinical use must minimize learning curves and simplify workflows. An intuitive interface ensures that therapists can quickly understand and operate the system, allowing them to focus on patient care rather than troubleshooting new tools. The project will include planning, design, and implementation of customized genealogy software used to lead best practice when identifying protective factors: parental resilience, social connections, and knowledge of parenting and child development. Project funding will support software design, and collection of data points to inform Artificial Intelligence efforts to adapt ongoing best practices in real-time. Additionally, KVC Health Systems, Inc., will create a modern, mobile software system for case workers to enter and access child and family data while in the field. Specific features include in-home assessments on suicide risk, mental health functioning, well-being assessments, and incident reporting. Custom modernized software will enhance tools in the field for in-home assessments on suicide risk, mental health functioning, incident reporting and family well-being. Additionally, family relationship diagramming / genograms provide a visual tool for charting basic family structure and exploring family and case relationships across time. The genogram can be useful in gathering information about family members, understanding relationship dynamics and behavioral patterns, conducting assessments, exploring placement and family support options, and guiding casework to useful and needed interventions. The primary use of the genogram in family therapy is in conducting assessments and collecting history; however, a genogram co-developed by the therapist and the client with deeper explorations beyond the visual mapping of generations can bring forth many relevant findings. Genograms can serve as an effective tool in counseling with children, and when co-developed with a child a genogram can be beneficial when discussing uncomfortable family environments or incidents, increasing rapport and building a shared understanding between therapist and client. Genogram software will capture broader resources for children entering out of home placement by identifying and cultivating healthy close relationships that increase individual resilience and act as a protective factor against suicide. Kansas children ages 0-17 will benefit from the project with new aligned equipment to support consistent, effective communication across the acute psychiatric hospital campus in Kansas City, Kansas, and enhanced capacity for telehealth and remote parent, school, and community communication with children in care.
