Start corporation's FY26 samhsa infant and early childhood mental health (iecmh) program - project name: start corporation infant and early childhood mental health program - louisiana region 3 start…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Start Corporation $500,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to launch Louisiana's first Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) program serving children birth through age 12 across seven parishes in Louisiana Department of Health Region 3.

The program will screen thousands of children, deliver evidence-based mental health treatment, and provide consultation to caregivers over the five-year performance period (September 30, 2026 through September 29, 2031). The target population includes children at risk for, showing early signs of, or diagnosed with mental illness and serious emotional disturbance, with particular concentration in the birth-to-5 range; the population presents with trauma exposure, adverse childhood experiences, social-emotional and developmental delays, and extensive Department of Children and Family Services system involvement. Start Corporation projects serving approximately 680 unduplicated individuals in year 1, scaling to approximately 1,040 annually by year 5, for a total of approximately 4,520 unduplicated individuals over the performance period.

The catchment area encompasses seven parishes—Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne—with a combined population of approximately 380,000. Services are anchored at Start Corporation's clinics in Houma and Thibodaux, with telehealth and in-home service delivery extending reach region-wide. Place of performance is Houma, Louisiana.

Start corporation's FY26 samhsa infant and early childhood mental health (iecmh) program - project name: start corporation infant and early childhood mental health program - louisiana region 3 start corporation (start) will launch louisiana's first infant and early childhood mental health (iecmh) program, serving children birth through age 12 across region 3's seven-parish river and bayou area. Over five years, the project will screen thousands of children, deliver evidence-based mental health treatment, and extend consultation to the adults who care for them, closing louisiana's only validated-care GAP for its youngest residents. Geographic area: the project serves louisiana department of health region 3 in its entirety - assumption, lafourche, ST. Charles, ST. James, ST. John the baptist, ST. Mary, and terrebonne parishes - anchored by start's houma and thibodaux clinics, with telehealth and in-home service extending reach region-wide. Population size and individuals to be served: the seven-parish catchment has approximately 380,000 residents. Start projects serving approximately 680 unduplicated individuals in year 1, scaling to approximately 1,040 annually by year 5, for a total of approximately 4,520 unduplicated individuals over the five-year project period. Age range and population distribution: children birth through age 12 who are at risk for, showing early signs of, or diagnosed with a mental illness, including serious emotional disturbance (SED), together with their families and caregivers, with particular concentration in the birth-to-5 range served through start's clinics and healthy start program. Clinical characteristics: the population presents with trauma exposure, adverse childhood experiences, social-emotional and developmental delays, and diagnosed or emerging SED, with extensive dcfs system involvement. Regional risk indicators are pronounced - elevated teen birth and low-birthweight rates, high caregiver depression, and a severe provider shortage - and no organization in region 3 currently offers iecmh-validated screening or birth-5 dyadic treatment. Strategies and interventions: start will adopt deca for birth-5 screening (complementing seek, cpss, and calocus for older children), with DC:0-5 diagnostic classification for birth-5 children. Core evidence-based practices are TF-CBT, child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), and parent-child interaction therapy (pcit), with DBT for older/CO-occurring cases, plus infant and early childhood mental health consultation (iecmhc) for adults who care for young children - delivered through start's clinics, healthy start home visiting, and dcfs/my community cares referral pathways under a no wrong door model, with workforce trained through the LSU evidence to practice cohort. Project goals: (1) increase early identification of iecmh concerns through validated screening; (2) build a workforce credentialed in evidence-based iecmh promotion, intervention, and consultation; (3) deliver evidence-based dyadic/individual treatment; and (4) extend iecmhc to caregivers of young children. Measurable objectives: screen 250 children via deca within 6 months, scaling to ~800 annually by year 5; train 3 clinicians each in CPP/pcit and 2 in DBT within 4 months; serve 40 children in year 1, reaching 60-120 annually from year 2; and provide iecmhc to 80 staff within 9 months, expanding to dcfs and home visitors thereafter, aligned with samhsa's strategic priorities of gold-standard science/data and access to high-quality services for all.