Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation CMHI 1.0 initiative funded Livingston County $2.85M over 8 years to create an integrated system that addresses children's mental health in schools, primary care and community settings.

1. Brenda J. Huber, PhD., ABPP
Illinois State University
&
Kristal H. Shelvin, PhD.
Livingston County Special
Services Unit

2. Livingston County: 2009-10
~40,000 people (93% White) >1,000 sq miles
12 public school districts; 27 attendance centers
10 FTE MD & 5 FTE Mid-level providers
Low median family income & Low HS/BS graduation rates
55% babies born to single mothers; 14% to <20
Double state average child abuse/neglect reports; founded
sexual abuse cases
2-4x state fatal accident rate
High substance abuse hospitalization
High domestic violence reports
Flooding, deployment, uncertain employment
Illinois
GOALS:
• Decrease rates of risk behaviors and frequency & severity of
mental disorders thru prevention and early intervention
• Increase capacity, accessibility & coordination of services

3. VISION: Families all across Livingston County will utilize and value a
comprehensive continuum of services to promote children’s social and
emotional development which will, in turn, effectively reduce at-risk
behaviors and strengthen relationships.

4. Screening
• We have approximately 9500 youth ages 0-
18.
• Screening occurs in primary care/health
dept, the courts & schools.
• We are conducting an average of 9,400
screens a year.
• We are very close to our goal of screening
every child every year.

5. The percentage of children who are at-risk for
social-emotional-behavioral concerns has
decreased dramatically and stabilized around
10%!
At-risk

6. This decrease suggests that our prevention and
early intervention strategies are working.
We implemented a universal, teacher-led
social-emotional curriculum, Positive Action©.

7. Providing services in natural settings, overcame
barriers to access often associated with rural settings,
such as stigma and transportation.
Three-fourths of at-risk children and youth receive
individual or group services in the schools or primary
care practices where they screened positive.

8. Care Coordination/System Improvements
• Aligning our resources to address duplications and gaps in our
system, allowed it to function more efficiently and effectively.
• Coordinating our professional development plans increased
our expertise serving youth with trauma/attachment issues.
• A universal exchange of information form and communication
protocols streamlined the process of making referrals and
coordinating treatment across sectors.
• Liaison positions in each of the four sectors (education, mental
health, healthcare, juvenile court) facilitated communication
within that sector and across sectors.
• The four liaisons are core members of the Comprehensive
Inter-disciplinary Assessment (CIA) team which meets
regularly to staff the highest need cases in the community.
• CIA integrated treatment plans that have enabled youth with
serious mental illness to live safely in least restrictive
environments.

9. Families who need therapy and
parenting supports are accessing
them (2-3x as many)!
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Number of
Families Served
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Units of
Intervention
Provided
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

10. Juvenile Police Arrests are decreasing...
448
413 401
367
292
246 231
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Juvenile Police Reports

11. In conclusion…
The children’s mental health needs of Livingston
County are no longer overwhelming; adults in all
child-serving settings accept some responsibility
for children’s social-emotional development,
know how to identify children in need of support
and are comfortable accessing additional services.
In truth, there is confidence in the community
that we have the capacity to meet our children’s
needs.