CPAN is a free, statewide program designed to increase education, knowledge, and skills of PCPs.
Who We Are
The Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) was created by the 86th Texas Legislature to leverage the expertise and capacity of the health-related institutions of higher education to address urgent mental health challenges and improve the mental health care system in this state in relation to children and adolescents.
In 2021, the Texas Legislature approved federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for expanded services of several of the Consortium’s initiatives.
Vision
All Texas children and adolescents will have the best mental health outcomes possible.
Mission
Advance mental health care quality and access for all Texas children and adolescents through inter-institutional collaboration, leveraging the expertise of the state’s health-related institutions of higher education, local and state government agencies, and local and state mental health organizations.
TCMHCC Has Five Initiatives:
- The Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) provides telehealth-based consultation and training to primary care providers. Learn More
- The Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program provides in-school behavioral telehealth care to at-risk children and adolescents. Learn More
- The research initiative has created two state-wide networks to study and improve the delivery of child and adolescent mental health services in Texas. Learn More
- The Community Psychiatry Workforce Expansion (CPWE) funds full-time academic psychiatrists as academic medical directors and new psychiatric resident rotation positions at facilities operated by community mental health providers. Learn More
- The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Fellowships program expands both the number of child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship positions in Texas and the number of these training programs at Texas HRIs. Learn More
Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN)-is Texas pediatric clinicians’ free and trusted mental health resource. CPAN offers provider-to-provider consultations related to specific patients or general questions, care coordination, and training to pediatric clinicians to assist with identifying and treating mental health issues in their young patients. Click here for more information.
Perinatal Psychiatry Access Network (PeriPAN)-a new pilot expansion of the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN). PeriPAN is a hotline for clinician-to-clinician consultation for providers serving pregnant women and new mothers experiencing mental health distress, including:
- Obstetricians
- Family practitioners
- Primary Care physicians
- Pediatricians
- Psychiatrists
- Midwives
In 2019, nearly 50,000 Texas women who gave birth suffered from depression. PeriPAN can help providers address maternal mental health conditions like this. Click here for more information.
ADHD-Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in the world and one of the most common disorders of childhood, with a prevalence in school-aged children of around 9 to 15 percent. It is more common in boys than girls (14% in boys vs 6% in girls), and in 20-25% of cases, it presents with psychiatric comorbidities (e.g. oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, or depression). A diagnosis is generally made by a clinical interview of parents and kids, but it is preferable to diagnose after information is obtained from multiple settings. If not treated, there is a significant risk in terms of social functioning, school functioning, and occupational functioning. Click here for more information.
Anxiety is a normal response to a threat or psychological stress. Normal anxiety has its roots in fear and serves an important survival function. When someone is faced with a dangerous situation, anxiety triggers the fight-or-flight response. With this response, a variety of physical changes, such as increased blood flow to the heart and muscles, provide the body with the necessary energy and strength to deal with life-threatening situations, such as running from an aggressive animal or fighting off danger. Click here for more information.
Depression-Depressed mood is common among children and adolescents. In some cases, the change in mood is temporary, triggered by stress, trauma, or major life changes. Other times, it becomes more persistent, causing changes in physical and mental functioning that worsen over time. When this is the case, the child or adolescent may be suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), commonly known as depression. Click here for more information.
Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) provides telemedicine or telehealth programs to school districts to help identify and assess the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents and provide access to mental health services.
If you’re interested in joining TCHATT, please email us at [email protected] to see if it is available in your region. TCHATT is deploying first in those regions where existing infrastructure can be expanded or a new infrastructure can be set up quickly.
Who Can Access TCHATT
TCHATT is not currently accessible to all students in Texas. On the map above, you can see if your school or school district is enrolled or soon-to-be enrolled.
When to Use TCHATT
Call TCHATT any time behaviors are seen or reported that have you concerned for a student’s mental health.
How to use TCHATT?
- Share your concern with your school’s designated TCHATT liaison, or refer the student to your school’s designated TCHATT liaison.
- The school TCHATT liaison will ensure that required consent forms have been signed by the appropriate party (i.e., student, parent, guardian). If the parent/ guardian agrees to TCHATT, the liaison will collect some basic information to share with TCHATT.
- The school TCHATT liaison then calls TCHATT.
When the School TCHATT Liaison Calls TCHATT
- For urgent issues, further screening via telemedicine will be scheduled with the most appropriate TCHATT mental health specialist.
- For less urgent issues, we will schedule an assessment of the mental health needs.
- After a TCHATT Encounter, TCHATT staff may refer the student to a local pediatric psychiatrist or other mental health professional; a local pediatrician with support from pediatric psychiatry faculty; or the local mental health community center.
Free