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19
started. Some of these inputs include the following: funding, manpower to gain funding from
community MHC and the AEA, manpower to advocate, collect, and analyze data, manpower to
create staff training, manpower to refine a new referral application, in-kind donation of
administrative oversight for the developer, and in-kind donation of space. Overall, the inputs are
minimal, and it appears that access to all these inputs can occur without any issues.
The first activity of BHFAK is to hire a full-time advocate, also referred to as a
developer, who will be a master-level social worker. Other activities will happen subsequently.
They include developing the #WeCare campaign to ADMH officials and the public, collect more
data on the usage of the current referral application, record training, and have training set-up on
Relias Learning (a LMS platform), pilot BHFAK, and refine BHFAK as needed. Data collection
and analysis from the current referral system and a pilot study are supposed to strengthen the
policy change argument.
The outputs for BHFAK are highly measurable and make good indicators of success. The
first output is fifteen conversations within 90 days regarding the lack of behavioral healthcare
among Alabama youth with ADMH officials. Another output is improved knowledge on
BHFAK by ADMH and the public, and this can be measured through surveys. Other outputs
include a stronger data-driven argument that can be presented to ADMH for BHFAK, three
hours of training are available to school staff, and a completed pilot will show data of the pilot’s
success/failure. This pilot can then inform future goals and the direction of BHFAK.
There are short term, intermediate-term, and long-term outcomes. The timeline for the
outcomes is one year, five years, and ten years, respectively. For BHFAK, the short-term
outcome is to raise awareness of BHCs and BHFAK and create a desire by the state to address
the issue. The intermediate-term outcome is an endorsement of policy change by ADMH and
Object Description
| Title | Behavioral Health for All Kids |
| Author | Popham, Nathan Edward |
| Author email | nathan.popham@aol.com;nathanedwardpopham@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Social Work |
| Document type | Capstone project |
| Degree program | Social Work |
| School | Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work |
| Date defended/completed | 2020-07-24 |
| Date submitted | 2020-08-07 |
| Date approved | 2020-08-08 |
| Restricted until | 2020-08-08 |
| Date published | 2020-08-08 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Lewis, Jennifer |
| Abstract | The health gap is a grand challenge identified by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, n.d.). The behavioral health gap is part of the health gap (Bartram & Lurie, 2017). It represents two-thirds of youth with a behavioral health condition (BHC) not getting the care they deserve (Kaushik et al., 2016). The behavioral health gap is highest among children and those living in more rural states like Alabama, and access to care is a significant cause of the gap (Reijneveld et al., 2010). ❧ The Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) is the state’s largest provider for in-school behavioral health services (Alabama Department of Mental Health, 2010). These services provide youth with quality care at a convenient place with a reasonable cost (Alabama Department of Mental Health, 2010). Per interviews, referrals for these services are slow and ineffective throughout the state; thus, the current referral process inhibits access to care (Teresa Dawson, personal communication, June 3, 2019). ❧ Behavioral Health for All Kids (BHFAK) is a program within mental health centers aimed at reducing the behavioral health gap among Alabama’s youth by improving access to care through a timely ADMH-sponsored in-school referral process. BHFAK will operate under the auspices of the board of directors for community mental health centers, and it will gain financial support from mental health centers and the Alabama Education Association. BHFAK is forward-thinking by introducing an electronic referral application and behavioral health screenings to Alabama schools; both are novel within Alabama school systems. BHFAK will be implemented in the following phases: 1) update ADMH policies through advocacy efforts of an employed developer and the public so that any school staff can complete an electronic referral—current policy only allows paper-based referrals that must be completed by school guidance counselors or social workers, 2) provide school employees with a training on the behavioral health gap, how to screen youth for BHCs, and how to complete the referral, and 3) implement a cloud-based referral application. Advocacy efforts to get ADMH policy changed are the most pressing. ❧ The BHFAK website helps the public get involved with advocacy and provides a roadmap for the next steps. Soon after advocacy efforts are underway, special permission should be sought by the employed developer to complete a pilot study. Data collected from the pilot may help the developer in advocating for the policy change. In phase two of the training, school staff will become educated on the issues surrounding the behavioral health gap and when and how to use the Youth Internalizing Problems Screener and the Youth Externalizing Problems Screener (Renshaw & Cook, 2018; Renshaw & Cook, 2019). School staff can then make referrals based on the screeners scores. ❧ BHFAK aims to have short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes, and they are as follows in respective order: raise awareness about BHCs and create a desire by the state to address the issue, ADMH endorsement of policy change and acceptance of this innovation, and finally, ensure youth with BHCs get connected with services in a timely manner. BHFAK can improve access to behavioral health care for many youths and narrow the gap by helping Alabama utilize its resources to their full potential. It takes an outdated system and makes it up to date with policy change, education, and modern technology. Helping youth access care is instrumental in helping those youth live healthy and productive lives. BHFAK will spread from one community and county to the next throughout Alabama through the help of the developer. BHFAK could be used in school systems outside Alabama that also struggle with similar issues, and it holds promise as a model in school systems outside Alabama without the resources to directly employ behavioral health professionals. BHFAK teachings can be applied in part or whole. |
| Keyword | Alabama youth; behavioral health care; in-school therapy; Alabama Department of Mental Health; Behavioral Health for All Kids; BHFAK |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Popham, Nathan Edward |
| Physical access | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-PophamNath-8898.pdf |
| Archival file | Volume13/etd-PophamNath-8898.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 19 |
| Full text | 19 started. Some of these inputs include the following: funding, manpower to gain funding from community MHC and the AEA, manpower to advocate, collect, and analyze data, manpower to create staff training, manpower to refine a new referral application, in-kind donation of administrative oversight for the developer, and in-kind donation of space. Overall, the inputs are minimal, and it appears that access to all these inputs can occur without any issues. The first activity of BHFAK is to hire a full-time advocate, also referred to as a developer, who will be a master-level social worker. Other activities will happen subsequently. They include developing the #WeCare campaign to ADMH officials and the public, collect more data on the usage of the current referral application, record training, and have training set-up on Relias Learning (a LMS platform), pilot BHFAK, and refine BHFAK as needed. Data collection and analysis from the current referral system and a pilot study are supposed to strengthen the policy change argument. The outputs for BHFAK are highly measurable and make good indicators of success. The first output is fifteen conversations within 90 days regarding the lack of behavioral healthcare among Alabama youth with ADMH officials. Another output is improved knowledge on BHFAK by ADMH and the public, and this can be measured through surveys. Other outputs include a stronger data-driven argument that can be presented to ADMH for BHFAK, three hours of training are available to school staff, and a completed pilot will show data of the pilot’s success/failure. This pilot can then inform future goals and the direction of BHFAK. There are short term, intermediate-term, and long-term outcomes. The timeline for the outcomes is one year, five years, and ten years, respectively. For BHFAK, the short-term outcome is to raise awareness of BHCs and BHFAK and create a desire by the state to address the issue. The intermediate-term outcome is an endorsement of policy change by ADMH and |
