Restore, strengthen and expand the delivery of covid-19 impacted clinical mental health care services to children with SED in the minneapolis/ST

Region - as a place of hope and healing, washburn center for children is a leading innovator of children's mental health care in the minneapolis and ST. Paul metro region. Our mission is to nurture every child and family's well-being and full potential through transformative children's mental health care. Washburn center is proposing a two-year community mental health centers (cmhc) grant to restore, strengthen and expand the delivery of covid-19 impacted clinical mental health care services to children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) and their families. Through this funding, 6,855 children experiencing SED gain access to affordable, evidence-based mental health care. The project emphasizes reducing barriers and building community awareness of available mental health care to traditionally underserved populations, including families from communities of color and/or limited ability to afford mental health care. The primary objectives of the project align with the agency's strategic operating plan and include: 1) increasing by 24% outpatient evidence-based mental health care that includes trauma-informed screening, assessment, diagnosis and patient-centered treatment planning for children experiencing SED and their families. 2) expanding and improving hipaa compliant telehealth therapy infrastructure, so 20% of mental health sessions are delivered through telehealth. 3) training 160 clinicians in evidence-based (EBP) and culturally responsive practices so they have the resources to respond to a wide diversity of children experiencing SED and support diverse client populations, understand behavioral health disparities and build cultural competency. 4) strengthening technology resources and launching an effective learning management system so that 50% of mental health training can be live-streamed and recorded to increase training of rural mental health providers and allied professionals across the country. 5) reaching underserved populations through community outreach strategies and referral pathways for vulnerable populations, such as families identifying as bipoc and/or residing in economically disadvantaged communities and/or living in rural areas throughout minnesota. After a tremendous amount of grief, loss, and trauma associated with the covid-19 pandemic and our community's racial reckoning, youth and families' emotional well-being is incredibly fragile. There's a growing "tsunami" of children's mental health needs. This project addresses those challenges by restoring, strengthening, and expanding clinical mental health care services delivery.