The Children's Fund of Connecticut

Support for the operations and programs of CHDI to enhance the pediatric primary care system through the following: support comprehensive, quality care ("medical home"), outreach and care coordination, integration of behavioral health in primary care, health and mental health care in settings where children are served, and support and sustain effective mental health and juvenile justice practices in the treatment of children with severe emotional, behavioral and addictive disorders.

A.J. Pappanikou Center (UCHC)
A.J. Pappanikou Center: The Children’s Fund supported the A.J. Pappanikou Center for Developmental Disabilities in starting a Family Voices chapter in Connecticut. The mission of the chapter is to empower parents/caretakers of children with special health care needs to participate in care decisions for their children as well as policy for children who are disabled. Family Voices Connecticut will bring together several parent support organizations within the state.

Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Project HOME (Health Outreach for Medical Equality) intends to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of practice-based care coordination at the Connecticut Children Medical Center’s Primary Care Center in Hartford. HOME uses practice-based care coordinators and community outreach workers to improve access to primary care and other services, medical and non-medical, for inner-city families, largely of Hispanic origin. HOME staff contact families when children do not show up for scheduled well child visits or important follow-up visits and reconnect them to their medical home. HOME staff conduct family needs assessments to identify barriers for using well child services as well as needs for and barriers to other services. HOME staff develop care plans with families, link them to services, and monitor progress in collaboration with families and the primary care, medical specialty and community service providers. Home is funded by The Children's Fund of Connecticut in collaboration with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

Holt, Wexler & Farnam, LLP
Evaluation of the Medical Home Pilot: The Children’s Fund has supported the firm of Holt, Wexler & Farnam to evaluate the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Medical Home Pilot project. DPH has funded three primary care practices (Asylum Hill Family Medicine, Staywell Health Center and Optimus Health Center) to test the extent to which addition of a practice-based care coordination can affect important child health services and outcomes.

Connecticut Children's Medical Center
The Children’s Fund has funded the primary care center at Connecticut Children’s to develop a Family Advisory Committee to address areas of clinic policy. The Committee’s first endeavor is to advise the clinic administration about development screening practices.

Bridgeport Hospital
Bridgeport Hospital Primary Care Center was awarded funds to extend a primary care based behavioral health screening and consultation program to 1) add a psychiatric APRN to consult with primary care providers on psychotropic medication management; 2) screen for maternal depression and connect mother-infant dyads to services; 3) have a care coordinator oversee care plans for identified children through expanded screening and ensure their connection to evaluation and therapeutic services; and 4) train pediatric and family medicine residents as they rotate through the primary care center.

Connecticut Children's Medical Center
The Children’s Fund supported the Andrulonis Child Mental Health Lecture Series for four evening presentations addressing important child mental health issues that pediatricians encounter in their primary care practices.

Fair Haven Community Health Clinic (New Haven)
Fair Haven Community Health Center in New Haven, in partnership with Clifford Beers Clinic, was awarded funding to address behavioral health concerns through co-location of a behavioral health clinician onsite at the Health Center. Project plans included immediate consultation for primary care providers as well as direct assessment and treatment services for children. Clifford Beers Clinic was identified to provide psychiatric consultation services. A care coordinator was hired to maintain an electronic tracking system. All practice staff received training in behavioral and developmental health topics. Mothers were screened for depression and connected to adult mental health services at the Health Center.

Holt, Wexler & Farnam, LLP
The firm of Holt, Wexler & Farnam was retained to evaluate four behavioral health integration projects.

Pediatrics Associates (Bristol)
Pediatric Associates, a large private pediatric practice in Bristol, working with Wheeler Clinic was funded to extend the on-site behavioral health services they had in place. They implemented universal screening during well child visits and increased the number of children served by the onsite behavioral health clinician. The practice implemented a medication management consultation program with a psychiatrist from Wheeler clinic. New services are sustained by third party reimbursement.

Saint Mary's Hospital (Waterbury)
Saint Mary's Hospital primary care clinic in Waterbury was awarded funding to strengthen their capacity to serve children with behavioral health concerns using 4 strategies: 1) standardized screening tools used at well child services; 2) integrating behavioral health services into the developmental services that were already operational within the primary care center; 3) using consultation, referral, and information sharing protocols for seamless coordination of care with the Child Guidance Clinic of Greater Waterbury; and 4) implementing billing and administrative processes to develop a system of service delivery that is sustained by third party reimbursement.

University of Hartford
The University of Hartford Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology was hired to study the implementation of Enhanced Care Clinic/Primary Care partnerships in terms of their implications for pediatric primary care providers.

Community Grants
Community planning grants totalling $75,000 were awarded to the following communities:


Windsor Public Schools                                    
East Hartford ChildPlan                                              
Bridgeport Public Education Fund
Norwalk Community Health Center
Community Foundation of Greater New Britain
United Way of West Central Connecticut
Town of Stratford
Community Foundation of Greater New Haven

Bridgeport Hospital Foundation (Child FIRST)
To support the statewide dissemination of the Child FIRST initiative, the Children’s Fund has awarded $10,000 to CHDI. Along with support from other Connecticut based funders, this award will augment the multi-year agreement with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is the major funder of the Child FIRST dissemination.

United Way, CT Infant/Early Childhood Credential Project and CT-AIMH
Funds from the President's Discretionary Fund were given to the United Way of CT, CT Infant/Early Childhood Credential Project & CT Association for Infant Mental Health.