Why is there a need for GMAP?
Nearly one in five U.S. school-age children has a treatable mental health disorder, yet half are not receiving treatment.* In Georgia, nearly one in four Georgia youth ages 3 to 17 years have one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions.** In 2019, 30% of Georgia high school students reported feeling sad or depressed every day for two or more weeks.† Patients and families often come to their trusted primary care provider for behavioral health help first.
Yet, pediatric primary care providers may be more comfortable providing behavioral health assessments and referrals than actual treatment.‡ Pediatric primary care providers also report difficulty finding therapists and psychiatrists for their patients. And there is an average wait time of six to eight months for referrals for adolescents seeking behavioral health services from a specialist in Georgia.§ GMAP is the solution.
Sources:
* Whitney, D.G. & Peterson, M.D. (2019). U.S. national and state-level prevalence of mental health disorders and disparities of mental health care use in children. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(4): 389-91.
**Kids Count Data Center. (2021). Children who have one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions in Georgia. Annie E. Casey Foundation. Accessed at https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/line/10668-children-who-have-one-or-more-emotional-behavioral-or-developmental-conditions?loc=12&loct=2#2/12/false/1696,1648/asc/any/20456.
† U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Explorer, 2019. Accessed at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 1991-2019 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Available at http://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/.
‡ Bettencourt AF, Ferro RA, Williams JL, Khan KN, Platt RE, Sweeney S, et al. (2021). Pediatric primary care provider comfort with mental health practices: A needs assessment of regions with shortages of treatment access. Acad Psychiatry. 45(4):429-434. doi: 10.1007/s40596-021-01434-x.
§ Knopf A. (2013). School-based telehealth brings psychiatry to rural Georgia. Behav Healthc. 33(1):47-8.
What benefits do providers receive by enrolling in the GMAP program?
GMAP increases pediatric providers’ comfort to treat and manage mild-to-moderate behavioral health concerns in day-to-day practice and also increases providers’ access to behavioral health consultation and a referral network.
Provider educational programs
Advice line for providers
Resource directory
Who can participate?
Primary care providers, including those in pediatric and family medicine practices, who serve children and youth ages 0 to 21 years can enroll. This can include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses. Other health care professionals, social workers, and home visitors that serve children in Georgia are also welcome to participate.
Where is the program recruiting?
GMAP is launching in 2022 for Georgia health care providers that currently serve youth in metro Atlanta and Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities regions 4 and 5. There are plans to expand statewide in subsequent years.
DBHDD Regional Service Areas
How can I learn more?
For more information about GMAP, please email [email protected]. To enroll, click the button below.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $2.09 million with 20% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. government.
