“…Integrated care can address many of the key barriers for child development and mental health intervention in primary care, as well as provide many benefits. These include - Greater willingness by the primary care provider to explore mental health issues that might result in a mental health referral,
- Greater likelihood of using on-site mental health services,
- Better attendance rates for the first mental health appointment, compared with external referrals,
- Reduced health care costs due to decreased utilization of medical services by children with unidentified and untreated mental health problems,
- Less stigma for families in seeking mental health care,
- Improved parenting practices that promote child development (e.g., reading, nonpunitive discipline practices),
- Enhanced communication among mental health and primary care providers, and
- Increased exchange of knowledge and skills between mental health and primary care disciplines (Kramer & Garralda, 2000; Minkovitz et al, 2007; Rosman, Perry, & Hepburn, 2005; Steele, Elkin, & Roberts, 2008; Wildman & Langkamp, 2012; Williams, Shore, & Foy, 2006).
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