Resource Link
309-624-9781
Parenting a child with mental health issues can be difficult. Trouble accessing child psychiatry and other mental health services can make things even more challenging. With limited community resources and a complicated social service system, many families turn to their primary care physician for help. Resource Link provides services to equip primary care physician practices to identify, diagnose and treat pediatric mental health issues. Resource Link offices are located in Peoria, Galesburg, Monmouth, Pontiac, Bloomington, Ottawa and Rockford. Services include:
On Site Training
Resource Link will provide training for the physician and staff regarding:
- Mental illness, including diagnosis and treatment options
- Routine screening options
- Community resources
Physician to Physician Consultation
A child psychiatrist is available to primary care providers for telephone consultation. The primary care provider schedules a brief telephone conversation with a child psychiatrist to receive advice on how to proceed with treatment. In some cases, the patient may be seen by the child psychiatrist for a full evaluation, in order to give recommendations to the primary care provider.
Care Coordination
Upon referral by the primary care provider, a care coordinator will meet with the family via telephone or in-person to complete a brief screening to determine if supportive services would be helpful. As indicated, the patient and family will be referred to services such as counseling, parent support groups, etc. In cases where there is imminent risk to self or others, the patient will be referred for emergency services such as Screening Assessment and Support Services.
The care coordinator will ensure the patient and family are matched with the appropriate resources and will follow up after the referral to ensure the patient is engaged with services and there is effective communication among providers.
Resource Link also has general information on children’s mental health and local resources available to anyone. Call us to learn more.