CIMH and the California Mental Health Directors Association (CMHDA) are involved in a broad coalition of telemedicine providers, trainers, educators and the State Department of Mental Health (DMH) in an effort to coordinate new and ongoing telemedicine projects. This steering committee will help develop protocols, provide technical assistance, research billing issues and act as a clearinghouse for counties and other interested parties as this new technology develops.
Several projects are currently underway. The first, a pilot project, will involve developing one to three pilot telepsychiatry clinics to consult to rural Sacramento county areas and adjacent counties without child psychiatry human resources. The target counties are those without child psychiatrists and/or limited child psychiatry availability. CIMH will work with Sacramento County, DMH, UC Davis and the California Telehealth Telemedicine Center (CTTC), Tri-Cities Clinics, and Riverside County Mental Health in this project.
In another project, Edgewood Centers has received a grant from CTTC to provide Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) training to northern and remote counties. CIMH, CMHDA and DMH are working with Edgewood in order to help coordinate and promote this training.