NEW FREE, STATEWIDE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES NOW AVAILABLE TO DOCTORS TO BETTER SUPPORT THEIR YOUTH PATIENTS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: California launched a web-based portal that gives California primary care providers access to no-cost direct consultations, education, and resources to assist them in navigating and addressing mental health and substance use disorders for patients between 0 and 25 years of age.
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SACRAMENTO — The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) launched the California Child and Adolescent Mental Health Access Portal (
Cal-MAP) to support access to robust youth mental health care. This free phone- and web-based portal, created in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and made possible through the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (
CYBHI), gives primary care providers, pediatricians, and other outpatient physicians immediate access to consultations, resources, and training to better address mental health needs in their youth and young adult patients ages 0-25, regardless of the patient's insurance status.
“Cal-MAP is helping to lay the foundation for a more coordinated, youth-centered, prevention-oriented, and accessible mental health system that supports young people when, where, and in the way they need it most," said
DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “Supporting our primary care providers with resources, such as Cal-MAP, will help meet the mental health needs of children and youth and improve access to equitable, quality care."
“Picture a primary care physician in a rural community with limited training in mental health and limited service resources whose teenage patient shows signs of anxiety and depression," said
Autumn Boylan, Deputy Director of DHCS' Office of Strategic Partnerships. “Now, that doctor can log into Cal-MAP.org to connect directly with an interdisciplinary team of qualified mental health professionals and address their mental health concerns right away. By providing timely care in the doctor's office, teens can receive appropriate treatment without delay, reducing the need for emergency room visits."
“As both a pediatrician and director of CYBHI, I am thrilled about Cal-MAP. Having the support of a child psychiatrist on the other end of the phone — as well as many online curated resources and tools to improve my clinical acumen — is a win for me and a win for my patients. I look forward to this service benefiting children and youth to get the care they need with the doctors they already know and trust," said
CYBHI Director Dr. Sohil Sud.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: Fifty percent of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75 percent begin by age 24. Unfortunately, access to child psychiatry has been a significant problem nationwide for decades. Consequently, pediatric primary care providers often find themselves on the front lines of diagnosing and treating these conditions, often with limited training and support. To address this issue, Cal-MAP supports all primary care providers treating youth in California by providing:
- Consultation: Real-time, direct primary care provider-to-child and adolescent psychiatrist consultation for California-based primary care providers providing screening, diagnosis, and treatment for youth ages 0-25.
- Education: Primary care providers, school-based clinicians, and staff can access no-cost training that offers accredited continuing medical education and continuing education units.
- Resource Navigation: Guidance on resources, referrals to primary care providers, and connections to valuable services from licensed clinical social workers.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: DHCS partnered with UCSF's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals to scale services statewide. Before the statewide launch of Cal-MAP, UCSF ran the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Portal (CAPP), which served as a vital pilot program focused on improving regional access to pediatric mental health care. Over the past five years, CAPP has provided consultation, education, and resources to nearly 3,000 California primary care providers with more than 4,000 consults to date.
“UCSF is proud to partner with DHCS to launch Cal-MAP. Now all California youth can benefit from this model," said Dr. Bryan King, Vice Chair for Child Psychiatry in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Vice President for Behavioral Health at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. “The CYBHI's commitment to innovation, advancing equity, and centering youth and families has enabled us to develop unique and special features for the California-wide program."
“Whether during real-time consultation or interactive discussion of training materials and current clinical scenarios, education is at the heart of what we do," said Dr. Petra Steinbuchel, Cal-MAP Director and UCSF Professor of Psychiatry. “Each learning exchange, however brief, enhances California primary care providers' knowledge, skills, and confidence in addressing youth mental health concerns. Cal-MAP supports the CYBHI's aims of increasing timely access to high-quality, culturally responsive care in lower-stigma settings like primary care, so children and youth get care at the right time, by the right clinician, for the right length of time."
Primary care providers interested in Cal-MAP's consultation services, trainings, and resources can visit Cal-MAP.org to register and access all services. Primary care providers can also contact the Cal-MAP team via phone at 800-253-2103 or email at info@cal-map.org for any questions about registration or services provided.
BIGGER PICTURE: Cal-MAP is part of the CYBHI, a central component of Governor Gavin Newsom's Master Plan for Kids' Mental Health and California's transformation of the mental health system. In January 2024, DHCS launched two Behavioral Health Virtual Services Platforms that provide free, safe, and confidential mental health support to young people and their families: BrightLife Kids for children ages 0-12 and their parents or caregivers, and Soluna for young people ages 13-25.
Learn more about Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom's Mental Health Movement for California.