Welcome to the June 2024 issue of Prenatal - 5: Grow & Thrive - HCA’s monthly newsletter about our behavioral health work in the early years of life. We hope that this newsletter helps build shared awareness of HCA’s efforts in this area and provides a centralized place to stay up to date on what’s new and happening. 

In this edition 

• Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Line (PPCL) updates and resources
• All about Infant Case Management 
• Events & trainings 
  • Mental Health Assessment for Young Children (MHAYC) Provider Spotlight series 
  • DC:0-5 Clinical training 
  • Mom's Access Project (MAP) Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) 

Registration is now open for all MHAYC Provider Spotlight sessions through April 2025.  

The MHAYC Provider Spotlight series is intended to support providers in implementing MHAYC at their organizations. Each spotlight will focus on different aspects of MHAYC implementation and feature organizations who are putting it into practice.   

Find out more and register in the Events section below. 

The Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Line (Perinatal PCL) is a free, state-funded program providing perinatal mental health consultation, recommendations and referrals for Washington providers caring for pregnant or postpartum patients. 

The service is now able to answer questions related to co-morbid mental health and substance use disorders. Consultations are available during business hours, and providers can schedule a time to speak directly with the perinatal addictions psychiatrist. 

Did you know that the PPCL also offers professional development? 

The upcoming Perinatal Substance Use & Mental Health Case Conference Series is a 10-session CME-accredited program for providers in Washington State who want to care for their perinatal patient’s substance use and mental health. 

The MHAYC Provider Spotlight series is intended to support providers in implementing MHAYC at their organizations. Each spotlight will focus on different aspects of MHAYC implementation and feature organizations who are putting it into practice. 

Agency Shifts – Workflows, Staffing, and Electronic Health Records | July 25 | 11 a.m. to noon | Virtual. Providers will share how they’ve shifted their intake workflows to support multi-session assessments and use of the DC:0-5, including strategies for scheduling, staffing, engaging caregivers, and updating EHRs (e.g. EPIC and Credible) to reduce administrative burden. This session will be recorded. 

Additional spotlights will be held on the following dates 

• October 24, 2024 | 11 a.m. to noon: Gathering Information Part I – Structuring Assessment Sessions and Cultural Considerations 
• January 23, 2025 | 11 a.m. to noon: Gathering Information Part II – Screenings, Collateral Information, and Referrals 
• April 24, 2025 | 11 a.m. to noon: Assessments in Home & Community Settings  

Still haven’t attended a DC:0-5 training or have new staff that need DC:0-5 training? Attended a DC:0-5 training but want to learn more? The following professional development opportunities are provided at no-cost by the IECMH-WC, and they are open to providers who serve children and families enrolled in Apple Health.  

DC: 0 – 5 Clinical Training | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day | Virtual. This 12-hour training is designed to support mental health professionals in developing in-depth knowledge of the approach and content of DC:0-5. Multiple offerings are available: 

• July 23, 24, and 25, 2024 
• September 16, 17, and 18, 2024 
• October 11, 18, and 25, 2024 

1st Wednesdays of the month from September 2024 through July 2025 | 12 to 1 p.m. | Virtual. The upcoming MAP ECHO will focus on: 

• identifying common mental health and substance use disorders in the perinatal period. 
• formulating treatment plans. 
• understanding the benefits and risks of medication (psychotropics, MAT) during pregnancy and lactation.  
• appreciating the role of racism and stigma in treatment engagement.  

The series is facilitated by a multidisciplinary team including UW Medicine perinatal psychiatrists, obstetrician gynecologists, maternal fetal medicine experts, advanced registered nurse practitioners, therapists and social workers. Each monthly session includes a didactic and a case discussion, and CMEs are available.  

First Steps is a Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) program that helps low-income pregnant individuals get the health and social services they may need and covers a variety of services for pregnant individuals and their infants. One of the enhanced programs covered under First Steps is Infant Case Management (ICM).  

ICM helps parents access medical, social, educational, and environmental services to improve the health and wellbeing of their infants. ICM promotes a supportive network for families through referrals and connections in the community.  

ICM usually begins when the baby is about 3 months old and can continue up to the last day of the month of the baby’s first birthday. Services can be provided virtually, in the provider’s office, in the family’s home, or in a community setting.  

ICM is designed to provide targeted case management, including referrals to behavioral health services.   

• Screening and eligibility criteria for the ICM program take into consideration the mental health and substance use disorder needs of the parent(s), in addition to physical, social, and economic needs of the parent(s) and child.  
• Case management provided through ICM can help connect families to behavioral health services, in addition to other physical, social, and economic supports.  
• ICM services aim to increase rates of developmental screenings for infants and postpartum mood disorder screening for caregivers.   

To refer a family to ICM, refer to the First Steps MSS and ICM Provider Directory or call the Help Me Grow hotline at 1-800-322-2588.  

To learn more about ICM, visit the First Steps enhanced services webpage.  

You can find earlier editions of this newsletter on our IECMH webpage, under IECMH updates.  

Prenatal – 5: Grow & Thrive is also a spin-off newsletter of HCA’s Prenatal – 25: Thrive newsletter, which focuses on behavioral health for the entire age span of pregnancy to early adulthood. If you missed it, check out the most recent edition of the P-25 Thrive newsletter. 

Learn more by visiting the IECMH webpage for recent project updates.