Mental Health Emergency and Crisis Resources
In the event of an emergency, suicidal or other mental health crisis (suicidal thoughts, homicidal thoughts, physical aggression, or concern for your safety or the safety of your child), please call:
- 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If you are unable to transport yourself or your child safely, please contact 911 and ask for PERT (Psychiatric Emergency Response Team).
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK. Spanish line: 888-628-9454; TTY: 800-799-4TTY (4889). You’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7. The 988 Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
The Primary Care Mental Health Integration Program is currently offered at select Children’s Primary Care Medical Group and Children’s Physicians Medical Group locations. It is designed to improve the emotional well-being of youth by identifying mental health needs early, making it easier to access mental health care, and providing evidence-based treatment that works. This is accomplished by connecting patients with a caring and compassionate Integrated Health Therapist (IHT) who works out of their Primary Care Pediatrician’s (PCP’s) office or with an IHT or psychiatrist at one of our regional Rady Children’s Mental Health Hubs.
Benefits of Mental Health Integration:
- Easy, quick access to mental health care
- Convenient in a setting that is familiar and more comfortable for the child and family
- Evidence-based, short-term model
- Family-centered, collaborative approach that provides patients with more consistent care and access to medical and mental health services
Hub and Spoke Model
The MHI Program embeds therapists in pediatric primary care offices to provide short-term, evidence-based treatment for patients with mild to moderate mental health concerns. The Program provides a continuum of care and addresses lack of access to mental health care through early identification and rapid connection to Primary Care Mental Health through a “hub and spoke” model.
- “Spokes” represent the primary care pediatric sites with embedded Integrated Health Therapists (IHTs). IHT offices are located in the same office as the PCP to facilitate communication and collaboration around patient care.
- “Hubs” represent regional, free-standing mental and behavioral health clinics for higher acuity cases that may require longer term therapy or psychiatric support.
- The Program is also supported by a Care Coordination team that helps connect patients with community services and support to improve their health and mental wellness outcomes.
MHI services start in the primary care office where PCPs refer patients to an IHT via a Warm Hand-Off (WHO), often same day, if a patient or family member expresses a mental health need, the PCP is concerned, or a screening measure identifies a potential concern. Working closely with the patient’s PCP, the IHT provides mental health care and support in the Primary Care Medical Home, where a child feels more comfortable, and the environment is familiar. Mental health services can be provided either in person or virtually based on patient and family needs and preferences.
Our Locations
To be eligible for the MHI program, a referral from a participating pediatric primary care provider at one of our program locations is required.
Integrated Primary Care Clinics Sites
CPMG Oceanside – Sanford Children’s Primary Care
CPCMG Children’s Medical Group San Marcos
CPCMG Chula Vista – Centre Medical Plaza
Mental Health Integration Hubs
Referrals to one of our regional Rady Children’s Mental Health Integration Hubs are available as needed.
*In partnership with San Diego Center for Children (SDCC).
Patient, Family, and Provider Testimonials
Impact By Numbers
As of 2024*, the Transforming Mental Health Initiative has:
- Established integrated care teams in 9 primary care clinics and 4 regional mental health hubs across San Diego and Riverside Counties
- Provided mental health services to 8,674 patients
- Completed 42,330 appointments
- Pioneered the provision of evidence-based, integrated pediatric mental health care, reaching SAMHSA’s 6th level of integration, and rigorously applied Measurement-Informed Care (MIC) to achieve the highest level of quality-of-care outcomes for our patients.
- Trained over 150 Pediatric Primary Care Providers through the REACH Institute and ongoing Integrated Health Topics Series
- On November 16, 2023, Rady Children’s Transforming Mental Health (TMH) Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) program published its first manuscript, titled “Developing an Innovative Pediatric Integrated Mental Health Care Program: Interdisciplinary Team Successes and Challenges”, in the journal, Frontiers in Psychiatry. Frontiers is an international publisher of peer-reviewed, open-access journals currently active in science, technology, and medicine. The manuscript presents a case study of the implementation of PCMHI’s integrated mental health care program. It introduces readers to the complex array of factors that contributed to our nation’s current youth mental health crisis and tells the story of how and why Rady Children’s created the TMH and PCMHI program in response to the growing youth mental health needs in our community.
- Contributed to and consulted on state and federal mental health legislature and advocacy efforts.
- Partnered with three school districts in San Diego County as well as the San Diego County Office of Education to offer educational presentations and curriculum to children, teens, and educators.
*Since June 2020