Children and youth in the United States are experiencing a profound mental health crisis. Fortunately, research increasingly indicates that school-based mental health services are an effective way to improve access to mental health care. These services can especially act as a lifeline to children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), a population that HRSA defines as having or who are at increased risk for having chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions. CYSHCN comprise approximately one-fifth of children and youth in the United States, and eight of the top ten conditions experienced by CYSHCN are developmental, mental, or behavioral conditions.
According to MACPAC, more than a third of CYSHCN are covered by Medicaid, and nearly 90 percent of school-based mental health centers report billing Medicaid. However, coverage for school-based mental health care and services offered varies widely among states. Increasing Medicaid coverage offers a promising approach to improve access and care for CYSHCN. Still, critical gaps remain in understanding the comparative effectiveness of programs when translating between school-based settings.
To address these comparative effectiveness research (CER) gaps in school-based CYSHCN mental health services, AcademyHealth leads a project in collaboration with Econometrica and Family Voices to galvanize the field. This project is funded through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) (#EASCS-38921). The work includes a range of interest holders, uniting lived and learned expertise to identify and prioritize pressing evidence gaps through agenda-setting.
The project promotes high-impact research through the:
- Development of a national, coordinated research agenda designed to address identified patient-centered CER gaps in school-based mental health services for CYSHCN; and
- Engagement of the full range of interest holders, inclusive of CYSHCN families, school-based practitioners, state-based policymakers, and researchers, in the process of co-developing the CER agenda.
Using a participatory approach, a Steering Committee and robust convening of interest holders will guide the development of research questions that are responsive to patient needs, relevant to school-based implementation, and amenable for downstream uptake in Medicaid policy. The resulting shared set of priorities will enable the evidence base to be built in a coordinated, cohesive way. The research agenda will emphasize feasibility and impact to establish a clear roadmap appropriate for research, practice, policy, and advocacy. Family-partnered research teams will be able to use the roadmap to conduct CER of the highest importance to CYSHCN families and policymakers.