In November 2020 we launched a collaboration of the Seattle Children’s Care Network (SCCN), UW Psychiatry (both the AIMS Center and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health to run the first round of a year-long learning collaborative promoting integrated care in the SCCN’s community-based pediatric practices. The first six participating practices range in location from Mount Vernon to Chehalis and serve a diverse population of families. Sara Barker, MPH, and John Kern, MD, represent the AIMS Center, Kathy Brewer, MS, LMHC, and Larry Wissow, MD, are the lead partners from child psychiatry, and Sheryl Morelli, MD, MS, and Scotty Sonntag, LICSW, are the lead partners from SCCN.

The collaborative’s single largest source of support is the Seattle Children’s Guild Association, with additional support from King County’s Accountable Community of Health (Healthier Here), Regence BlueShield, and SAMHSA (through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network). Participating practices will receive support and training to start or expand integrated care using a pediatric modification of the collaborative care model plus evidence-informed brief mental health interventions. The collaborative is organized around a six-point “change framework” that emphasizes family involvement, attention to the social determinants of health, and the importance of a trauma-informed office culture for supporting staff and families.