Q: What is the Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership program?
A: Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership program promotes behavioral health integration into pediatric primary care using telehealth. Statewide networks of pediatric mental health teams provide tele-consultation, training, technical assistance, and care coordination for pediatric primary care providers to diagnose, treat and refer children with behavioral health conditions.
The overarching goal of the program is to use telehealth modalities to provide timely detection, assessment, treatment, and referral of children and adolescents with behavioral health conditions, using evidence-based practices and methods such as web-based education and training sessions.
Q: What services does the Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership program offer?
A: By enrolling and partnering with MPBHP as a provider you will have access to:
- Stronger relationships with psychiatric providers for ongoing support.
- Telephone consultation with either a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist or independently licensed Behavioral Health Clinician
- Resources and Care Coordination
- Practice-focused training and education
Q: What is expected from members/participants/providers of the Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership program?
A: Our goal is to have enrolled providers participate in training opportunities, communicate questions and consult requests through the HIPPA compliant electronic means provided, Provide MPBHP with aggregated data as needed for the grant and provide ongoing feedback on effectiveness of the program.
Q: How does one become a member of the Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership program?
A: Once a provider or practice identifies they are interested in becoming an enrolled provider, one of our network program managers will work with the practice or provider to complete the MOU and enrollment process.
Q: Who do we contact for more information about the Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership program?
A: Please feel free to call the access line at 1-833-672-4711 to ask for more information about MPBHP and its services.
Q: As a provider we come to these trainings and get all this information, which is great, but how do we get our patients the services needed?
A: The demand for mental health services in the state of Maine is much higher than what we have for services currently available. The goal is to look at the child’s current needs and to work together to figure out what services we can access to meet the immediate needs of the child and family to prevent a crisis.
As a provider and a team, we need to look at the entire picture and tap into what support systems are currently in place. Pull all supports/systems together to develop a plan on how to best meet the child’s immediate needs and long-term needs.
Think about including, family (immediate and extended), medical providers, school providers, community-based providers, DHHS/CBHS Resource Coordinator and any current treatment providers.
Q: If I have a patient who is on waiting lists for services but needs help immediately, what should I do?
A: MPBHP is not met as a crisis service, therefore we would recommend contacting the Maine Crisis Hotline at 1-888-568-1112 or bring the patient to the local Emergency Department for a crisis assessment as needed.
The goal is to try and keep the child out of crisis, so looking at what resources can be utilized outside of a hospital setting to best support the child and family.
- Maine Crisis Line 888-568-1112 (call or text)
- NAMI Maine Teen Text Support Line 207-515-8398
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Crisis Text Line 741741 (text “HOME”)
- Trevor Project Text Line 678678 (text “START”)
Q: I have a patient who I have been treating for a while but is not responding to medications, what should my next steps be?
A: This would be a good time to contact MPBHP for a consultation with one of our psychiatrists. It may be time to reassess the patient and situation, we should look at the broader picture of what could be going on and come up with different treatment options.
Q: I have a patient who has been in the ED waiting for an inpatient bed for a long time now, what can I do to help or what would you recommend as next steps?
A: We would encourage that the child’s team have a team meeting to reassess the child’s immediate needs and how they can best support the child. This may mean thinking outside the box and bringing in supports from the community, school, home, medical etc.
You should encourage the family or case manager to contact DHHS- Children’s Behavioral Health Services and speak to the Family Information Specialist.
Children's Behavioral Health Services focus on behavioral health treatment and services for children from birth up to their 21st birthday. Services include providing information and assistance with referrals for children and youth with developmental disabilities/delays, intellectual disability, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and mental health disorders
For contact information for staff at Children’s Behavioral Health Services please go to the following link:
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/support-for-families/childrens-behavioral-health/cbhs-contacts
Q: If there are Integrated Behavioral Health Clinicians already, what is the best way to use them and their services or other resources in the practice?
A: We would encourage you to set up a meeting with that professional already in your practice to talk about how to best use them and their skills. It would be best for you to determine the best workflow for the two of you and to determine what the expectations are within your practice to best meet the child’s needs.