Doctor/therapist: How a NYS program is expanding access to behavioral health care

While we associate mental health care with psychologists and psychiatrists, primary care doctors are often the first to see children and families with behavioral health issues. To strengthen and support doctors' ability to deliver that care, a state-wide program called Project TEACH provides free psychiatric consultation support and training. Since its inception in 2010, Project TEACH has enrolled nearly half of the 9,000 primary care physicians in New York State, leading to over 23,000 consultations of pediatric patients. This is a critical resource amidst an ongoing maternal and child mental health crisis in the US. On this episode, two of the founders of this unique program discuss this collaboration between the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and seven top universities and hospitals across the state, led by University at Buffalo (UB). Our third guest explains how a recent 5-year, $16.8 Million grant from New York State has enabled the expansion of Project TEACH into behavioral health services that support OB/GYNs, family physicians and other clinicians who work with women who are pregnant or have recently given birth.

Podcast transcript

Meet our guests

David Kaye, MD, professor of psychiatry and vice chair of academic affairs at the University of Buffalo, and executive director, Project TEACH.
Victor Fornari, MD, vice chair and director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at Northwell and site medical director, Project TEACH.
Kristina Deligiannidis, MD, is director of women’s behavioral health at Zucker Hillside Hospital, a part of Northwell Health, and the new medical director of reproductive psychiatry for Project TEACH.

Chapters:

03:05 - A maternal mental  health crisis
04:28 - An unmet need in child/adolescent mental health
05:40 - What is Project TEACH?
07:04 - Examples of how Project TEACH is used by primary care doctors
08:14 - A typical consult
09:46 - Are there similar programs in other states?
10:13 - What are the differences between the program's child/adolescent and Ob/Gyn sides?
12:28 - How the primary care setting helps remove the stigma associated with mental health
14:09 - Getting buy-in from Ob/Gyns
17:00 - Changing the face of medical education