What States Are Doing to Promote Children's Healthy Mental Development

eAlert 4eb65841-78c3-48f6-adc6-d74a30a4d71e

<p>Ensuring the social and emotional well-being of young children is essential to school readiness, academic success, and overall healthy development. When mental health needs are not met early on in life, serious disorders with long-term consequences can develop in later childhood and adolescence.<br><br>A new report from the National Academy of State Healthy Policy (NASHP) examines how states are promoting the healthy mental development of children age 3 and under. Based on a survey of Medicaid and maternal, child health, and children's mental health agencies across the nation, <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=19753&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D325120%26%23doc325120">State Approaches to Promoting Young Children's Healthy Mental Development</a> looks at critical issues confronting states, from program funding concerns to the availability of qualified mental health providers. The authors also highlight common approaches to addressing these issues, as well as promising new initiatives under way to improve service delivery and financing.<bR><br>The report is a product of the Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD II) initiative, which is sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund and administered by NASHP to help states create health care delivery and financing models that promote the healthy development of Medicaid-eligible children.</p>

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2005/dec/what-states-are-doing-to-promote-childrens-healthy-mental-development