Albany Medical College

A nationwide shortage in child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPS) has led to a gap in developmental and behavioral health care for younger patients.

To address this pressing need in New York’s Capital Region, Albany Medical College developed a proposal with developmental and behavioral pediatricians—whose training is most similar to CAPS—to carry out the assessment and treatment of juvenile psychiatric patients. The proponents of the Pediatric Mental Health Services initiative aimed to increase the number of children in the Capital Region receiving diagnostic assessments, medication management, psychological testing, and psychotherapy, while improving education and support services for primary care providers about pediatric behavioral health. NYHealth awarded a grant to Albany Medical College in September 2009 to provide start-up funds for this project, which would enable it to add additional hours and key treatment providers.

Grantee: Albany Medical College

Grant Title: Pediatric Mental Health Services in the Capital Region

Dates: September 1, 2009 – December 27, 2011

Grant Amount: $242,620

Funding: Special Projects Fund

Grant Goals:

Over the course of the one-year grant, Albany Medical College set out to accomplish the following:

• Increase the number of children receiving developmental and behavioral health care from approximately 288 per year to 930;
• Increase the quality and scope of patient care by increasing the hours and availability of developmental and behavioral pediatricians;
• Educate community physicians in the management of this specific patient population;
• Address the acute shortage of CAPS in New York’s Capital Region by engaging developmental and behavioral pediatricians in assessing and treating juvenile psychiatric patients; and
• Test a model, which if successful, may be replicated statewide

Grant Outcomes:

At the conclusion of the one-year grant period, Albany Medical College reported the following outcomes:

• Increased the hours of developmental and behavioral pediatricians to provide care for juvenile psychiatric patients, and ensured their patient caseloads in general pediatrics were assumed by other physicians;
• Increased services to underserved children; from 2009 to 2010, the number of diagnostic and behavioral evaluations increased from 106 to 790, and the number of follow-up visits increased from 942 to 2,244;
• Presented three grand rounds conference opportunities to regional primary care providers on topics related to behavior health care; and
• Purchased several psychological testing instruments and began conducting a range of psychological tests on patients to assist with diagnostic clarification and treatment planning.

Grantee Website: http://www.amc.edu/
Grant ID #: 2925157