Missouri says a rural program will expand behavioral health consultations for children, families, and pregnant and postpartum patients through two access projects.
Rural behavioral health consultation expansion
The Missouri Department of Social Services says Missouri is expanding access to behavioral health consultations for children, families, and pregnant and postpartum patients through the Rural Health Transformation Program. According to DSS, the effort centers on expanding consultation support rather than describing direct treatment services for patients.
DSS says the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the DHSS Office on Women’s Health are leading the effort with the University of Missouri’s Center for Child Well-Being. The expansion is administered by DSS, according to the department’s announcement.
Funding supports two access projects
According to DSS, the combined investment is up to $6.4 million. The funding is intended to expand the Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Project, known as MO-CPAP, and the Missouri Maternal Health Access Project, known as MO-MHAP.
DSS describes the initiative as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program. The source does not provide a further breakdown of the potential investment between MO-CPAP and MO-MHAP, or describe when expanded services will become available.
Provider-to-provider consultation model
DSS says MO-CPAP connects pediatricians, family medicine providers, and school personnel with child and adolescent psychiatrists through provider-to-provider teleconsultation. The announcement identifies children and adolescents among the groups connected through this consultation model.
The DSS announcement also identifies children, families, and pregnant and postpartum patients as populations included in the broader behavioral health consultation expansion. The source does not specify particular conditions, treatments, or care settings covered by MO-MHAP or the expanded projects.
What this means for Missouri patients
According to DSS, the expansion could add consultation support for professionals serving rural Missouri communities and the children, families, and pregnant or postpartum patients they assist. People seeking treatment locally can use the directory, which lists 71 published clinics in Missouri, to identify available options and ask providers about services.
This is general information, not medical advice.
More Missouri reporting on rural access.
This report is educational and is not medical advice. Coverage, availability and eligibility can change; verify details with the named source or your care team.