The United Health Foundation formed a three-year, $3.2 million grant partnership with East Carolina University (ECU) in 2023. The grant facilitates expansion of the North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program (NC-STeP) in the ECU Center for Telepsychiatry across six community-based pediatric and primary care clinics in rural and underserved parts of the state to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people in North Carolina.
- Embed behavioral health providers at six community-based pediatric care clinics and connect them – as well as the primary care providers – to a psychiatrist for case consultation and care planning via telepsychiatry.
- Develop an artificial intelligence-driven portal to enhance collaboration between health care providers and encourage family members’ engagement in their child’s mental health care.
- Educate children and families about mental health and well-being through the development of a new virtual reality video game that provides anonymous peer-to-peer support.
- Offer training opportunities for ECU psychiatry residents, child psychiatry fellows, social work students, medical students and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners at the six community clinics.
- Hold an Interdisciplinary Telehealth Summit to share lessons learned from the project.
