Our department is a strong, active advocate - nationally, regionally and locally - for the highest quality of mental health services for children and families.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Advocacy Initiative
Our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Advocacy Initiative (CAMHAI) is an office that works with community groups, consumer advocates, healthcare providers, educators and policy makers to improve mental health services and access for children and families through policy and through community-based solutions.
We consider it important that our residents be exposed to child mental health advocacy. Therefore, they all receive instruction in advocacy issues and efforts through seminars given by the staff of our CAMHAI.
Children's Mental Health Campaign
In addition, we encourage residents with specific interests in this area to directly participate in our ongoing advocacy efforts, such as the Children's Mental Health Campaign (CMHC) and Boston's Birth-to-Five School Readiness Initiative.
CMHC was initiated in the context that more than 100,000 - 70 percent - of the children who need mental health services in Massachusetts do not receive them. Inconsistent mental health policies among state agencies, and multiple but separate funding streams, have resulted in a fragmented delivery system that is difficult to access and navigate.
To address these challenges, we have collaborated with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), Health Care For All, Health Law Advocates, Inc. and the Parent/Professional Advocacy League to launch the long-term CMHC calling for major reform of the state's mental health care system for children.
Announced in November 2006, the campaign was introduced by the release of a paper, "Children's Mental Health in the Commonwealth: The Time is Now," co-authored by Children's and the MSPCC. The paper describes a seriously flawed mental health care system and advances specific recommendations for prevention, timely diagnosis and appropriate intervention for children.
|