Background: Youth mental health needs are critically undertreated. Access and engagement remain challenging, particularly for disadvantaged youth, due to barriers such as limited clinic hours, insurance, transportation, bias, and stigma. School-focused collaborative approaches may reduce mental health care inequities. In this study, we illustrate a pilot intervention by process documentation, participant feedback, and two case studies. Method: To address local service gaps, a virtual collaborative care process was piloted with a child and adolescent psychiatrist (CAP) and psychologist from Project TEACH, a New York State Office of Mental Health funded Child Psychiatry Access Program (CPAP), primary care representatives, and multiple school mental health teams. Demographic data, participant feedback and the collaborative process is reviewed with two case studies created to highlight the collaborative process. Results: Most participants report utility and felt supported. The majority also report a positive impact on communication and collaboration between teams serving students; challenges with family follow up persist. Streamlined communication and consent was helpful. Demographic data suggests that this model can help reach disadvantaged youth. Conclusions: School-focused collaborative mental health requires regular communication and coordination between youth-serving providers. This pilot implementation study shows promise for reaching disadvantaged youth and providing multidisciplinary support.
Khoury et al. (Wed,) studied this question.