Long Island Home

The Children’s Mental Health Act of 2006 requires states to develop statewide plans to provide comprehensive, coordinated mental health prevention, early intervention, and treatment services for children through age 18.

However, the New York State Office of Mental Health acknowledges that there are still service gaps and reports that services need to be readily available and provided in a larger variety of settings, like the home and/or pediatricians’ offices. To fulfill this vision, Long Island Home implemented Project TEACH (Training and Education for the Advancement of Children’s Health), a new State initiative that facilitates the integration of primary care and behavioral health and provides specialized training, consultation, and linkage with mental health treatment for primary care physicians statewide.

Long Island Home convened clinicians, county health departments, and other providers in Suffolk and Nassau County to work collaboratively to develop a strategic plan for integrating mental health services into the pediatric setting(s) in both counties. Long Island Home also established integrated relationships with pediatricians so families can have easier, more timely access to care, particularly when the case requires urgency.