Our program was also recognized by the 2023 CCTST Community Health Transformation Award Ceremony. We were awarded the Academic-Community Research Partnership Award. https://www.cctst.org/news?category=Community+Engagement

The University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Psychiatry and the Adams County Health Department (ACHD) have forged a transformative partnership dedicated to providing mental health services to the youth, adults, and families of Adams County. This collaborative effort has achieved resounding success in expanding the youth behavioral health program and impacting mental health care. The expansion of this program, which now includes three school-based social-emotional counselors from Adams County and two UC graduate students-in-training, has significantly broadened the scope of services available. This expansion is not merely a quantitative achievement but a lifeline to many children who are receiving mental healthcare for the first time. In a region plagued by a significant shortage of healthcare providers, this collaboration brings much-needed hope and relief. In its inaugural year of 2021, UC providers facilitated 217 visits with 103 distinct patients. As a testament to the program’s remarkable growth, in 2022, UC providers completed 851 visits with a total of 261 distinct patients.

Dr. Kaitlyn Bruns (UC), with invaluable support from Dr. Hablitzel (ACHD), has been a catalyst for numerous research initiatives. Their efforts are instrumental in enhancing the partnership's efficacy, optimizing programming, and ultimately improving overall community wellness. Dr. Bruns works diligently to ensure standardized mental health assessments are consistently collected to measure clinical improvement before and after program participation. Additionally, youth and their caregivers complete program satisfaction surveys to identify successes and areas for improvement. Our commitment to research-driven program evaluation and improvement extends beyond program satisfaction surveys.

The youth behavioral program was initially developed with the goal of UC providers stabilizing at-risk youth quickly and referring to local providers. However, it quickly became apparent, referred youth are experiencing significant and untreated mental health disorders and require longer-term care. Given these aforementioned factors, in combination with the shortage of licensed mental health professionals in the community, UC developed semi-structured treatment manuals. These manuals offer evidence-based interventions for prevalent diagnoses and problem areas, including trauma, grief, depression, anger, ADHD, social skills, and interpersonal relationships. Youth complete a one-question distress rating scale at each treatment session, in addition to pre- and post-treatment mental health assessments related to the treatment manual (e.g., trauma symptom scale). Changes in clinical improvement will inform ongoing use of treatment manuals or evaluation of a different approach.

In essence, the seamless integration of clinical services and research has a profound impact on the quality of care offered. Prioritizing data collection, including clinical assessments and feedback from youth/caregivers, creates an invaluable feedback loop that evolves and refines services, leading to evidence-based improvements that directly benefit the children, adults, and communities served. The collaborative efforts of the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry and the Adams County Health Department are nothing short of exceptional. This partnership stands as an exemplar of excellence in community mental health service collaboration, deserving of recognition for its outstanding contributions to the well-being of the Adams County community.