Submitted by HopeSparks.
HopeSparks Family Services has been awarded $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending from U.S. Senator Patty Murray to expand integrated pediatric mental health in Washington State.
In 2018, HopeSparks and Pediatrics Northwest teamed up to integrate mental health and physical health into one setting. Five years later, this fully integrated model of care, aptly named, “Bridge of Hope,” is getting national attention. The model not only combines mental and physical health, but also psychiatric medication management and a Community Health Worker to address health related social needs such as: housing, food, transportation, etc. What used to be a child and family meeting their pediatrician, is now a child and family meeting their care team.
“This generous funding will help spread and scale the model, both within the existing footprint and also to new pediatric clinics across the State of Washington,” said Joe Le Roy, CEO of HopeSparks. “A preventative level of care that did not exist before has been created. Kids were not only receiving the wrong kind of care before, but the costliest type of care possible via crisis services and emergency rooms.”
“Implementing effective teams of care right at the primary care medical home is transforming how we serve all families. Imagine that as the parent of a sad teen, an anxious 8 year old, or a 3 year old with escalating tantrums that you quickly find the help you seek, not with a list of phone numbers, fingers crossed, but right at the pediatric office. Ultimately this upstream approach is about prevention: the right resources at the right time in real time.” Mary Ann Woodruff, MD, FAAP pediatrician at Pediatrics Northwest.
Officials from Seattle Children’s First Approach Skills Training (FAST) have provided clinical training and have worked with Bridge of Hope to analyze data regarding the efficacy of the model. Through 2024, there have been over 2,300 referrals and a 75% connect rate to mental health, with less than three calendar days to access. This is compared to a 15% connect rate when families navigate this on their own making phone calls and often waiting months to get help. The FAST team has now live-trained behavioral health clinicians in more than 95 primary care practices throughout Washington, and some 2,000 virtually. Added Sara Barker, Associate Director for Implementation at the AIMS Center, UW School of Medicine: “Many organizations are hungry to learn from organizations like HopeSparks and Pediatrics Northwest on what works and innovative ways to best serve children and families with collaborative care.”
“Through partnership and collaboration, we have fundamentally and structurally changed the way that children and families access mental health care in an equitable way. Imagine a world where every child who has a pediatrician, also has a care team that includes a mental health professional. That’s what we have done. We are so grateful for this investment from Senator Murray and her team,” Le Roy said.
