Center for Advancement of Youth
Integrating child psychiatry, development, and therapies to better meet the needs of more than 150,000 Mississippi kids.
The Center for Advancement of Youth will lease clinical space, which will allow CAY to grow and better meet the developmental and behavioral healthcare needs of the children of Mississippi.
Growth would also allow for integration of child psychiatry, child development, and physical/occupational/and speech therapies. Increased square footage would allow for expanded services, such as group therapy and behavioral urgent care to be offered.
The target audience is children in Mississippi and surrounding areas in need of behavioral and developmental care. The key clinical components of CAY include
- proper clinical diagnosis;
- standardized evidence based treatments; and
- tracking patient outcomes.
According to the most recent census data, Mississippi has approximately 750,000 children under age 18. National trends estimate that 1 in 5 (20%) of these individuals will be in need of behavioral, developmental and emotional care. Meaning, approximately 150,000 children and adolescents require behavioral services.
The economic and clinical value of CAY was demonstrated to UMMC, Medicaid, and the foundation based on the CAY System of Care of Children with Behavioral Health Issues grant from the foundation in 2015-2016.
Satellite Clinics
CAY will hire P-LPCs to provide behavioral health services in satellite primary care clinics under the supervision of three LPC-Ss. The P-LPCs will be provided PracticeWise© training, which is an evidence-based tool to assist in providing mental health services to children and families. Case consultations will be provided on a twice-monthly basis through the Department of Psychology at UMMC. Efficacy will be tracked by a UMMC-based data analyst.
Leadership Development
CAY leaders are enhancing their ability to develop a culture that fosters quality care with innovation by attending Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence course.