ABSTRACT
In the United States, many health care systems function independently from one another. Increasing coordination across systems
has the potential to vastly improve services and patient outcomes, yet implementing these changes can be challenging, requiring
increased communication, interaction, and coordination across systems that typically function independently. Parental depression
is one health issue that could benefit greatly from a comprehensive systems approach. The Helping Families Raise Healthy Children initiative is a cross-system quality improvement initiative aimed at improving identification and treatment of families faced
with the dual challenge of caregiver depression and early childhood developmental delays. Four main techniques were used to
foster and sustain cross-system collaboration and communication: cross-system trainings, regular meetings of collaborative
partners, a cross-system learning collaborative for service providers, and two cross-system facilitators. The initiative achieved
successful cross-system collaboration, suggesting that these methods may be used in other initiatives to foster similar types
of collaboration across systems.
has the potential to vastly improve services and patient outcomes, yet implementing these changes can be challenging, requiring
increased communication, interaction, and coordination across systems that typically function independently. Parental depression
is one health issue that could benefit greatly from a comprehensive systems approach. The Helping Families Raise Healthy Children initiative is a cross-system quality improvement initiative aimed at improving identification and treatment of families faced
with the dual challenge of caregiver depression and early childhood developmental delays. Four main techniques were used to
foster and sustain cross-system collaboration and communication: cross-system trainings, regular meetings of collaborative
partners, a cross-system learning collaborative for service providers, and two cross-system facilitators. The initiative achieved
successful cross-system collaboration, suggesting that these methods may be used in other initiatives to foster similar types
of collaboration across systems.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Practice and Public Health Policies
- Pages 1-6
- DOI 10.1007/s13142-012-0160-5
- Authors
- Kerry A Reynolds, RAND, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Lisa M Sontag-Padilla, RAND, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Patricia Schake, Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Jilan Hawk, The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Dana Schultz, RAND, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Journal Translational Behavioral Medicine
- Online ISSN 1613-9860
- Print ISSN 1869-6716