Saturday, May 18, 2024
5/18/2024
A partnership led by the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) proposes Right Start for Colorado (RS-CO) to improve outcomes for families and children ages 0-5 who are at risk for, or show signs of mental illness. RS-CO will develop a home-based, high-intensity infant/early childhood mental health (I/ECMH) program in Denver, and improve the Colorado workforce through training and support for clinicians and others who work with young children statewide. For over 20 years, Colorado and Denver have built a strong and sustainable infrastructure to support I/ECMH through policy advances, private and state funding, workforce development and innovative programming. This proposal seeks to build on this enviable foundation by expanding services and fostering sustainability through statewide workforce development strategies. MHCD has a well-developed service array for infants, young children and families, including robust mental health promotion and prevention services and strong I/ECMH outpatient care. However, because the program serves large numbers of children of color and those who have been exposed to trauma, a higher level of intensive, culturally competent treatment is an ongoing need. Grant funding would expand access to a minimum of 30 children and families annually (150 over five years) by developing intensive, home-based care using evidence-based interventions. Thus, MHCD could offer a full continuum of I/ECMH services to metro Denver families. A second aim of the RS-CO project is to address the statewide shortage of mental health clinicians with I/ECMH expertise by creating communities of practice that would support and sustain high quality service delivery throughout Colorado. This will include competency-based training and consultation, using the evidence-based Project Echo telehealth platform, to a total of 12 trainees and 30 practicing clinicians across the state. The Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health and Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council will be key partners in this effort. Finally, the project intends to deliver training to a minimum of 525 providers who interact with young children and families (e.g., child welfare workers, educators, pediatricians) through a series of lunch and learn presentations and a web-based hub for ongoing education and support. The goal is to increase knowledge of and expertise in dealing with I/ECMH issues, and help providers recognize when a referral to I/ECMH services is indicated. Our partners in this effort will include the Colorado Office of Early Childhood, the Denver Department of Human Services, and the Denver Early Childhood Council. RS-CO’s expected outcomes are increased numbers of children and families receiving intensive, evidence-based services and numbers of mental health and related providers trained in the specified mental health practices/activities. Child/family-related outcomes include increased social-emotional skills and developmental and language functioning, decreased behavior problems, and improved caregiver practices and caregiver-child interventions. Improved provider knowledge and enhanced practice skills are among the workforce-related outcomes.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
