Youth Telepsychiatry Grant

The Youth Telepsychiatry initiative by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services aims to enhance access to mental health care for pediatric, child, and adolescent patients through telepsychiatry. By funding hospitals and clinics, this program seeks to address the critical shortage of child psychiatrists in Wisconsin, especially highlighted in the 2019 Behavioral Health Gaps Report. This funding will support necessary technology and recruitment efforts to ensure continuity of care and improve access for underserved populations.

Division of Care and Treatment Services
The Division of Care and Treatment Services (DCTS) manages and supports seven care and treatment facilities for people living with psychiatric disorders and intellectual disabilities, community mental health and substance use services, community mental health and substance use treatment services for people in the criminal justice system, and the protection of client rights for people receiving services for intellectual disabilities, mental health, and substance use.
The Division of Care and Treatment Services is seeking applications for hospitals and clinics providing behavioral health care to expand telepsychiatry services for pediatric, child, and adolescent patients.
Telehealth has served as a cornerstone of outpatient health care since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has helped to maintain continuity of care and the patient-provider relationship. Telehealth can also fill gaps in access to behavioral health care caused by a shortage of mental health providers.
In the 2019 Wisconsin Behavioral Health Gaps Report, psychiatrists and psychiatric prescribers were the most common workforce gap identified in mental health in Wisconsin. Child and adolescent psychiatrist were cited as a critical workforce shortage in Wisconsin, more acute than psychiatrists generally.
The funds available through this funding opportunity may be used to purchase and support the technology needed to provide telepsychiatry services. The funds may also be used to recruit and retain psychiatrists and psychiatric prescribers who serve pediatric, child, and adolescent patients.

Eligibility

Nonprofit and for-profit hospitals, clinics, or health systems located in Wisconsin providing services to pediatric, child, and adolescent patients.