The United Health Foundation formed a three-year, $3.2 million grant partnership with East Carolina University (ECU) in 2023. The grant facilitates expansion of the North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program (NC-STeP) in the ECU Center for Telepsychiatry across six community-based pediatric and primary care clinics in rural and underserved parts of the state to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people in North Carolina.
- Embed behavioral health providers at six community-based pediatric care clinics and connect them – as well as the primary care providers – to a psychiatrist for case consultation and care planning via telepsychiatry.
- Develop an artificial intelligence-driven portal to enhance collaboration between health care providers and encourage family members’ engagement in their child’s mental health care.
- Educate children and families about mental health and well-being through the development of a new virtual reality video game that provides anonymous peer-to-peer support.
- Offer training opportunities for ECU psychiatry residents, child psychiatry fellows, social work students, medical students and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners at the six community clinics.
- Hold an Interdisciplinary Telehealth Summit to share lessons learned from the project.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina CEO Anita Bachmann spoke to WITN about the importance of the program. Click here to watch the full story.
