One is a pediatrician who has known since a car accident in elementary school that she wanted to be a doctor to help kids just like her. The other is a pediatric psychiatrist who has built a career on increasing mental health care access for children.

And for the last year, this powerful duo has been at the helm of a first-of-its-kind initiative to train North Texas pediatricians to identify and treat mild to moderate mental health concerns before they escalate.

Together, these physicians are confronting a challenge that has taken center stage as a national crisis: the mental health care of our children.

“As providers, our main goal is to be a voice for children. Many of them are crying out for help, but they’re not getting that need met,” said Mia Best, M.D., a Pediatrician at Children’s Health℠ who leads the Behavioral Health Integration and Guidance (BHIG) Initiative alongside Sabrina Browne, M.D., Pediatric Psychiatrist at Children’s Health and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

“Together, Dr. Browne and I are teaching local doctors to treat kids’ physical issues and their mental health needs. As a team, we are being that voice for children. We are protecting kids and making sure they get the care they need,” Dr. Best said.

The Behavioral Health Integration and Guidance (BHIG) Initiative is an effort to equip and empower pediatricians across North Texas to incorporate mental health services into standard primary care practice, increasing mental health care access for kids.

Rather than caring for kids’ mental health needs at the breaking point, this approach — which combines the expertise of Children’s Health and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute — is enabling primary care providers across the region to detect and address needs early, before they escalate.

The shift means earlier intervention for kids; a lower prevalence in severe mental health cases; and reduced pressure on the limited number of mental health specialists. Dr. Browne said there are currently not enough mental health professionals to meet the current needs of children, which has been amplified by the COVID pandemic, social media and other new stressors for kids.

“Within the medical world, we’ve done a disservice to our patients by separating out the physical and mental health. It’s important to incorporate both into patient care,” Dr. Browne said. “Pediatricians are on the frontlines. They’re the first ones to see kids, and because they see them regularly, they get to know them in a way that no other doctor does. Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to bring mental and physical health care back together because patients and families trust them.”

This innovative initiative offers an achievable, affordable solution that benefits children, their families, pediatricians, and the larger health care system. The impact of our behavioral health initiative will be big — both now and for years to come. In its first year, this initiative has empowered pediatric primary care providers who care for more than 150,000 families, by providing them with training and resources to shift the focus of mental health care treatment to early intervention.

Launched and supported by philanthropic gifts, donations from the community allow Drs. Best and Browne to offer these trainings to pediatricians at no cost.

Participating pediatricians — who entered the program at varying levels of comfort with treating behavioral health conditions — already report feeling more comfortable treating mild and moderate cases of anxiety and depression after several training sessions.

“Across the board, pediatricians have embraced this because they see the need in their patient populations,” Dr. Browne said. “And while there remains a stigma around mental health, we’re beginning to see a culture shift in the conversation. This is a great moment to seize on that opportunity and share this education with pediatricians so kids now and tomorrow can receive this preventative care.”

THE THREE PRIMARY COMPONENTS OF BHIG ARE:

1. Training community pediatricians, where families usually have trust and regular access, to identify mental health issues and provide early therapies for things like mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression. Online training and live examples with a demonstration clinic cover a range of topics for participating providers, as well as support for more serious cases.

2. Evaluating patient- and provider-level data and outcomes to inform evidence-based practices that will ensure consistency and quality within pediatricians’ offices.

3. Advocating for sustainability and scalability of this approach by changing the way stakeholders, insurance carriers and the legislature addresses mental health needs of children.