Behavioral Healthcare Resources

A Guide for Community Child Serving Agencies on Psychotropic Medications for Children and Adolescents
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Behavioral Health Concerns in Classrooms
The November 3, 2015, webisode of Knowledge Network for Systems of Care TV (KSOC-TV), “Behavioral Health Concerns in Classrooms,” addresses the topic of identifying and managing behavioral health concerns in elementary school classrooms. The panelists provide specific strategies on how students, parents, teachers, and administrators can work together to support positive mental health among elementary school students.
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Customizing Health Homes for Children with Serious Behavioral Health Challenges
Approximately one out of 10 children in the United States has a serious emotional disorder1, and mental health conditions represent the most costly health condition among children2. The health home provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides an opportunity for states to improve the quality and cost of care for these children. This resource paper provides a rationale as to why health homes under the ACA should be customized for children and youth with serious behavioral health challenges.
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Issue Brief: Policy and Community Level Strategies for Integrating Children’s Behavioral Health Services
Connecticut Network of Care Transformation has created CONNECT – a program to ensure children and their families receive effective and coordinated behavioral health services regardless of the system or systems in which they are involved.
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Strategies for Behavioral Health Organizations to Promote New Health Insurance Opportunities in African American Communities
This strategy brief provides 10 strategies that your organization can use to introduce African American individuals and families to the new health insurance options. Examples are provided from organizations that have successfully used these strategies.
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Strategies for Behavioral Health Organizations to Promote New Health Insurance Opportunities in Latino and Hispanic Communities
This strategy brief provides 10 strategies that your organization can use to help introduce Latino and Hispanic individuals and families to the new health insurance options. Examples are provided from organizations that have successfully used these strategies.
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Environmental Scan on the Implementation of Health Reform in Relation to Children’s Mental Health Services
The National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health (TACenter), in collaboration with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Director’s, conducted an environmental scan to explore plans and activities for the implementation of health reform through the lens of mental health services for children, adolescents, and young adults with mental health conditions and their families. This scan is intended as the first step in a “health reform tracking project” to be undertaken by the TACenter to monitor and describe implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in states and the impact on children’s mental health services. Similar scans will be conducted periodically to assess new activity and progress in planning for and implementing the various provisions of the ACA.
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Health Reform and Immigrant Children, Youth and Families: Opportunities and Challenges for Advancing Behavioral Health
For children, youth, and families who have immigrated to the United States, however, the ACA presents certain challenges as well as benefits. It does not apply equally to all immigrants. Instead, the ACA’s strict guidelines delineate which immigrant populations are eligible to gain access to the new health care benefits. This issue brief provides substantial insight into how the ACA addresses the unique health care challenges confronting children, youth, and families who have immigrated to the United States.
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The Role of Medicaid for People with Behavioral Health Conditions
Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enables states to expand Medicaid eligibility to cover all individuals up to 138% of poverty, including adults without children, a group that has historically been ineligible for the program. Many newly eligible Medicaid enrollees were previously uninsured and may enter the program with undiagnosed or untreated behavioral health problems. This brief examines Medicaid’s role in providing care for adults with mental illness and substance use disorder and the program’s potential to expand access for these new beneficiaries. It compares low-income adults with Medicaid coverage to low- income adults who are uninsured with respect to prevalence of chronic mental illness/substance use disorder and, within the population with such illnesses, compares their health care spending, access to care, and utilization of services.
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The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Survey: Toolkit for Providers
A new toolkit is out that aims to help services providers give a survey about traumatic childhood experiences that are linked to negative effects on health and well-being. The toolkit, developed by The National Crittenton Foundation, offers recommendations about the Adverse Childhood Experiences survey, including how to talk to children and parents about the survey, track results and use the data for public education and policy advocacy.
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