Poster 82 – Interprofessional Training for Integrated Pediatric Primary Care Practice in Urban Settings

Access to mental health care is a major public health problem across the nation and particularly in the city of Philadelphia. The need has been exacerbated by the onset of COVID-19. There is a shortage of mental health providers in Philadelphia who are qualified to practice in pediatric primary care, especially with children and families from minoritized backgrounds. There is a need to continue our ongoing efforts to diversify the workforce of clinicians for primary care practice. This project is preparing psychology interns, child psychiatry fellows, and social work trainees to address the behavioral health needs of marginalized populations, specifically children and adolescents (ages 2 to 18 years) residing in Philadelphia. The overall goal of this project is to provide interprofessional training in pediatric integrated primary care (IPC) to psychology interns, child psychiatry fellows, and social work trainees to address the behavioral health needs of children in high need/high demand areas. The objectives are: (1) Further develop and expand IPC training with an emphasis on training to provide services in primary care practices serving children/adolescents in high need/high demand areas; (2) Prepare trainees in competencies for interprofessional practice in IPC and cultural humility; (3) Further develop community partnerships to promote access to behavioral health care as well as the career development of project trainees; (4) Provide training to faculty in core competencies for practice and quality improvement in IPC; (5) Further develop methods of recruitment and selection to ensure the enrollment of highly qualified trainees of diverse backgrounds who are strongly dedicated to careers in IPC serving youth from high need/high demand areas; (6) Integrate technology into service delivery and training with a focus on telehealth and improving family and clinician digital health literacy; and (7) Further develop and implement a sustainability plan. Specialized training in IPC began at our organization in 2013, and we have had continuous federal funding to support this training initiative since then. This presentation will highlight program growth since 2017, when we began receiving funding from the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program from HRSA. Psychology interns, child psychiatry fellows, and social work trainees receive interprofessional, experiential training in IPC in Philadelphia at four pediatric primary care sites, which provide services to a high proportion of medically underserved children and families. Experiential training is complemented by participation in a progressive series of didactic seminars focusing on interprofessional IPC competencies; program development and evaluation; digital health and health informatics; diversity, equity, and inclusion; family engagement; trauma-informed care; and coordinating systems of care.