Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program

About EIIC's work with PMHCA

In September 2022, the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) received supplemental funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to collaborate with HRSA Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) programs across the country.

This PMHCA expansion award will allow EIIC to cultivate relationships between the nation’s emergency departments (EDs) and PMHCA awardees through the development of a Technical Assistance toolkit for both primary care and ED clinicians. PMHCA awardees were selected based on participation criteria developed by the EIIC and include Michigan, Washington, Delaware, Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

To develop the Technical Assistance, PMHCA teams are being taken through guided focus group discussions to identify their current state as well as tools needed to assist PMHCAs interested in expanding into the ED space. They are also participating in the ED STOP Suicide Quality Improvement Collaborative. The program will continue until the end of 2023.