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 “Our children are the foundation for our future generations’
health. Participating in the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center meeting
will help inform our efforts already underway to take a
collaborative approach to health care as part of Illinois’ health
and human services transformation,” said Governor Bruce Rauner.
“Communities, health care organizations, advocacy groups, and
government agencies must work together to change and improve mental
and behavioral health services for infants and young children.”
Government agencies, advocacy organizations and child- and
family-serving programs in states across the country competed to
become one of 10 states that gathered October 13-14 in Minneapolis
to address mental health prevention, intervention, and treatment
programs for very young children. The goal of the ZERO TO THREE
meeting was to identify state strategies to align health care
finance policy, specifically Medicaid, with infant and early
childhood mental health practice.
 “We know that children’s earliest experiences – both positive and
negative – affect their brain formation,” said ZERO TO THREE
Executive Director Matthew Melmed. “The period from birth to age
five is critical to future success, and we are pleased that
policymakers, in Congress and in states, are increasingly aware of,
and investing in, infant and early childhood mental health.”
According to ZERO TO THREE, it is estimated that between nine to 14
percent of children age birth to five years experience at least one
emotional or behavioral disturbance, which left untreated, can have
long-term negative impacts on child development, future health, and
success. It is critical to create a seamless system of high quality
mental health supports and services designed to ensure healthy
mental development in children. States continue to face many
challenges in the infant/early childhood mental health field,
including developing, providing, and financing assessments;
developmentally appropriate diagnosis; and evidence-informed
treatment.
To assist with some of those challenges, Illinois recently applied
for an 1115 Waiver to evaluate policy approaches, such as providing
services not typically covered by Medicaid or creating innovative
service delivery systems that improve care, increase efficiency, and
reduce costs. One initiative requested under the waiver involves
infant/early childhood mental health consultations.
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The consultations team infant/early childhood mental health consultants with
professionals who have frequent contact with young children (e.g., teachers,
care providers) to help them build skills to support and promote the
socio-emotional, behavioral health, and development of young children. Illinois
has been at the forefront of supporting mental health consultation in multiple
child and family service systems, but there is still a need to expand access to
consultation and other mental health services. The 1115 Waiver is critical to
successful implementation of its behavioral health strategy.
Illinois’ team is composed of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family
Services, the Illinois Department of Human Services – Division of Mental Health,
the Illinois Department of Public Health, Chestnut Health Systems, and the
Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership. Illinois will join this special
ZERO TO THREE meeting with other professionals from Alaska, Colorado, Indiana,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Virginia.
ZERO TO THREE in a non-profit organization working to ensure all babies and
toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their
well-being and development.
The opportunity is supported in part by the Irving Harris Foundation, the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Minnesota, and presented in
partnership with BUILD and the Minnesota Department of Human Services,
Children’s Mental Health Division.
[Illinois Department of Public
Health]
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