Coming Your Way…   Public-Private Partnerships
for Early Childhood Healthy Mental Development
Sonni Vierling, Iowa Department of Public Health

Have you ever:

• Made a referral and then wondered, “Did the family make the call?"

• Worked with a family who continually misses well-child visits due to family stress?

• Not asked probing questions about parental depression because you weren’t sure whether community resources existed for referral?

If these questions are familiar, public-private partnerships can help. They offer a streamlined process, from identification of developmental and social-emotional concerns to coordination of referrals and follow-up.

Iowa’s Assuring Better Child Development (ABCD II) project has made real progress in infusing healthy mental development principles and practice into Iowa’s Medicaid EPSDT system. The last issue of this newsletter highlighted the screening standards resulting from this three-year project; another critical component is a public-private system of collaborative practice.

The Public-Private Partnership promotes healthy mental development by enhancing the referral process and linking with effective services for children at risk. Medical providers who participated in the ABCD II project acknowledge that the expertise of local public health agencies is often the key to effective referrals for families and children.

The fall ‘07 EPSDT Care for Kids Newsletter will feature creative strategies that public-private providers have developed to serve families better through more effective referral and follow-up.

Note: To contact Kris Tiernan for information about about the opportunities available to your practice for ABCD II training and technical assistance, email kristin-tiernan@uiowa.edu.