The Child Access to Mental Health and Psychiatry, or CHAMP, program is designed to solve an important problem—delivering mental health care to children in a timely and accessible way.
As Dr. Tami Brooks, M.D., says in this video, without CHAMP, a pediatrician or family doctor is really left with only the option of referring their young patients to a mental health provider—and hoping the child can get to a specialist in a timely manner. This is something that concerns her because she knows that today’s kids face a number of mental health challenges, and she’d like to be able to help them while they’re in her care.
What CHAMP does it make it possible for a primary care physician to get instant access to a mental health provider using UMMC’s telehealth technology, making it possible for the child to get a mental health diagnosis in real-time.
The primary care physician and mental health professional can then work together on deciding what the treatment plan should be for that individual child, with the primary care physician able to administer and monitor the prescribed plan in consultation with the mental health professional.
Dr. Brooks says that the CHAMP program has given her a boost of confidence in her ability to better address the mental healthcare needs of her patients.
To learn more about CHAMP visit www.umc.edu/CHAMP. Families as Allies is pleased to be a partner with CHAMP with the goal of bridging the access barriers that separate families from the behavioral healthcare that they need.
Remember: Your family can tell your doctor about CHAMP and any doctor can contact them. See the CHAMP brochure here.
