Rady Children’s is transforming pediatric health care in San Diego. Since integrating mental health into pediatric care in 2020, the program has observed a 69% decrease in depression and a 68% decrease in anxiety among participating children.
Under the Rady Children’s Transforming Mental Health Initiative, therapists and pediatricians work side-by-side to identify mental and behavioral health issues while children receive medical care. For the estimated 1 in 5 children who struggle with mental, emotional or behavioral health issues, this initiative and subsequent interventions can be a lifeline they didn’t know they needed.
Treating the Whole Child
“There’s a historical separation between physical and mental health, plus a lack of accessible resources and a shortage of mental health providers. We are removing those obstacles and treating the whole child by embedding a mental health expert into the pediatric primary care offices,” says Anne Bird, MD, medical program director of Behavioral Health Integration at Rady Children’s and a clinical professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
This is a unique and innovative program, focusing on quick and easy access and a high level of integration—something other institutions can struggle with.
In addition to in-office therapists, Rady Children’s operates regional behavioral health integrated care hubs in Chula Vista, Encinitas, San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood and Hemet in Riverside County, where patients can receive additional therapy, psychiatric care and care coordination.
Training the Next Generation
The program is also educating pediatricians in the community on how to better care for kids with mental health needs. And for the first time ever, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which oversees new physician training, is requiring that pediatric residents receive mental health training. This means the fledgling pediatricians training at Rady Children’s and UC San Diego are learning how to care for kids with mental health needs in a primary care setting.
“The impact of training the future workforce in mental health is going to be transformative,” says Dr. Bird. “There is a great deal of evidence which shows us that if we can identify symptoms early, when kids are young, and if we intervene and treat early, then we can halt the trajectory of these disabling illnesses and ultimately make our future generations happier and safer.”
Learn more about Behavioral Health services at Rady Children’s.