The shortage of mental health providers for children and adolescents has led to creative consultative relationships between child psychiatrists in academic centers and the primary care clinicians who see young patients in their offices. Programs already exist in places like Washington state and Massachusetts. There, child psychiatrists are easily available during working hours to consult by phone with pediatricians. The psychiatrists also can do face-to-face evaluations of children referred by the pediatricians when needed and offer periodic in-service training in psychiatry to pediatricians and their staffs. Now, psychiatrists and pediatricians have formed the National Network of Child Psychiatry Access Programs to support the development and sustainability of state and local programs in 25 states and help new ones to develop. For more information on integrated pediatric care, see Psychiatric News.(Image: Leah-Anne Thompson/Shutterstock.com)
