We have a plan to train primary care providers about mental health

How it works today

Dr. Johnston is a pediatrician in Pueblo. A father brings his son Joseph in for an appointment. Joseph doesn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. He shows little interest in activities he used to enjoy. Dr. Johnston wants to help Joseph but she has not had the training to effectively treat a child with a mental health challenge. 

Dr. Johnston refers them to a psychiatrist whom she hopes has answers, but the family leaves uncertain about their path forward. 

How we will get there

Together, we can help primary care providers have the knowledge and resources to offer families compassionate and effective mental health care.

A primary care doctor is often the first person families go to for help. Like all other health problems, families expect to learn what to do next. But primary care providers often do not have the knowledge or support to diagnose or refer families for mental health support. Colorado has no standardized mental health training for primary care providers. 

We want to educate and support primary care providers across the state who are connected to Children’s Colorado on how to better identify mental health issues and provide the resources to know how to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. 

Through collaboration with partners across the state, Partners for Children’s Mental Health works to identify, scale, and sustain best practices that will help save lives and get mental health treatment to Colorado children. This includes educating primary care providers in both urban and rural communities, implementing evidence-based suicide training in schools and creating mental health tool kits that will be distributed across Colorado.

By equipping our state’s primary care providers with these tools, families experiencing a mental health problem will leave with a clear path forward.