CHAMP celebrates three years

At the end of September, the Child Access to Mental Health and Psychiatry (CHAMP) program celebrated 3 years of being in operation. CHAMP is a free, peer-to-peer education service that allows all Mississippi primary care providers (PCPs) to consult with a mental health specialist about the care of their patients aged 21 and under. When a provider calls the consult line, they can speak with a child psychiatrist, child psychologist, or social worker to discuss diagnostic evaluation, medication management, or treatment planning so that the care of the patient can be maintained in the medical home. The consult line is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm and consult requests can also be scheduled online as well.

The establishment of CHAMP in Mississippi is part of a larger national initiative to increase access to mental and behavioral health in the primary care setting through the use of pediatric mental health care access (PMHCA) programs. Funding for PMHCA programs is awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and sponsored by their respective state agencies as such as the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. To date, CHAMP has conducted 450 consultations and assisted over 300 PCPs with managing patient care. Additional assistance to CHAMP and our stakeholders is offered by our grant partner Families as Allies, which is a statewide organization providing and supporting family driven care within schools and varies other systems.

To learn more about CHAMP, please call 601-984-2080 or visit our website at umc.edu/champ.