Integrating Early Childhood Behavioral Health into Primary Care: The Pediatrician’s Perspective

Abstract

Primary care pediatricians build longitudinal partnerships with families starting in the newborn period, which provide them with opportunities to identify infants and young children at risk for behavioral and developmental disorders and to promote healthy social and emotional development. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages collaboration between pediatricians and mental health providers to improve pediatric practice by integrating behavioral health providers into the culture of primary care. The required elements include educating pediatric providers about aspects of child social-emotional development, creating workflows to optimize developmental surveillance and screening, and fostering linkages with community-based resources. Through the lens of the primary care pediatrician, we present our experiences integrating the co-located Healthy Steps Program into two large, urban primary care practices in the Bronx, NY. We highlight challenges confronted and successes achieved as we transformed our practices in partnership with our Healthy Steps colleagues.