Creating an Evidence-Driven Process for Preparing Youth and Families for Transition to Adult Care

Research shows that having a structured process for transition to adult care is associated with improvements in health and well-being, self-care skill-building, satisfaction, use of care in adult systems, and reductions in hospital use. In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians jointly published a Clinical Report on health care transition (HCT), which calls for early and ongoing transition planning, transfer assistance, and facilitated integration into adult care as part of routine primary, behavioral, and specialty care.1 Yet, current national data reveal that only 25% of youth with emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems, received any transition preparation from their providers.

This session will introduce the recommended approach, Six Core Elements of HCT, called for in the 2018 Clinical Report from the lead author, Dr. Patience White, the co-director of Got Transition This will be followed by a discussion of how the Six Core Elements were adapted for use in school mental health programs (SMHPs) in the District of Columbia, operated by Mary’s Center, a federally-qualified health center that provides mental health services in 26 schools. Jillian Shropshire, licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) and school-based mental health therapist, will describe the clinic process and tools to prepare youth for transition. Not only will this webinar discuss an innovative HCT approach for adaptation in a variety of care settings, it will also make available existing tools and resources and address current implementation challenges facing providers.

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