Inpatient Hospitalization
Since its inception, the Southern Consortium for Children (SCC) has continued to broker inpatient hospitalization services to the indigent child population throughout the ten counties. Five private sector hospitals and several child psychiatrists are contracted to provide timely, accessible, and competent care for children who are at risk of harm to themselves or others. Certified mental health agencies provide the screening and the SCC office provides the authorization for placement. Children in need of inpatient hospitalizations are seen or admitted on the same day as requested. The SCC's network of hospitals has a no reject/no eject policy.
Since the advent of Ohio's Medicaid Managed Care Program (December, 2006), the SCC's role in inpatient hospitalization has been reduced significantly. Inpatient hospital management has been reduced to children and families with no insurance or children and families who are not enrolled into the Medicaid Managed Care Program but remain on the "fee-for-service" Medicaid program. See the SCC Referral Manual for a complete description of all contract providers and Medicaid Managed Care Programs providing services throughout the ten-county region.
Time Out Host Home Network (Emergency Crisis and Planned Respite)
The Time Out Host Home Network provides short-term emergency shelter in a family host home setting for youth who are homeless, have run away, or are at risk of being homeless or running away due to a crisis. The goal is to ensure a temporary, safe place for youth while families and staff work on reconciliation. For youth unable to return home, the Time Out Network provides a safe shelter until a suitable alternative living situation can be arranged. Referrals may come from all youth serving agencies, schools, courts, parents, and/or self referrals. The Time Out Network is available in the ten-county region of southeastern Ohio through contractual agreements between the SCC and foster care providing agencies. Approximately 500 youth are served annually. Funding is provided through a grant from the Administration of Children and Families through the Runaway and Homeless Youth grants program.
New to State Fiscal Year '08 is "planned respite." Planned respite is offered exclusively to our regional mental health agencies who are ODMH certified for "crisis services." This program is intended to offset the need for hospitalization by providing respite services through the Time Out providers for children who have a history of "need" for respite services. This program is designed to provide a brief respite in order to avert a full blown crisis that may require a referral to a psychiatric hospital. See the SCC Referral Manual for instructions on how to access planned respite services.
Teenline Ohio - www.teenlineohio.org
This website serves approximately 1,000 unique users per month and includes contact information for the Time Out Host Home Network, local state and national crisis lines, and state-certified mental health and substance abuse centers across southern Ohio. Teenline Ohio features a "Question and Answer" section where teens can anonymously submit questions that will be answered and posted to the site, a message board section for teens to post their thoughts on topics such as school, homework, and depression. The website also includes a section on parental support, local resources, and online resources with topics including bullying, suicide, and teen dating violence. The site also includes sections for helpful links, frequently asked questions, and a place where users can provide feedback regarding the site.
Children's Behavioral Health Education
The Children's Behavioral Health Education video series was developed by the Southern Consortium for Children (SCC) to meet the training needs of professionals who serve children, adolescents and their families by utilizing state-of-the-art streamed video presentations. Our goal is to provide timely, topical information presented by highly skilled practitioners. Presentations may be viewed in the workplace or in the convenience of your home. There is no fee to watch the videos and downloadable handouts are available. For more information and a complete list of topics, please visit
our online video section.
Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative
The Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative is a collaborative of seven different Head Start programs, four certified mental health agencies, and the SCC. This program focuses on Head Start enrolled children and their families who have targeted behavioral health needs. Additionally, Head Start teachers receive classroom consultations, attend trainings, and participate in support groups.
Interactive Videoconferencing
In 1998, through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy, the SCC installed interactive videoconferencing technology into four mental health agencies. The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine's Office of Technology is a full partner in this project and serves as the technology hub for the installed network.
The videoconferencing network was created to provide distance learning programs to professionals on specific children's behavioral health issues and to provide telepsychiatry services network whereby children and families could receive psychiatric services in "real time" through face-to-face visits through videoconferencing technology.
Distance Learning
Two programs are in operation, the Behavioral Pediatric Case Seminar Series designed to provide participants with the latest developments in children's psychiatric treatment, and the Children's Community Support Training designed to provide hands-on training to improve or enhance direct service skills to behavioral health professionals. Both programs offer continuing education units. Over ninety programs have been offered with more that 3,000 participants.
Telepsychiatry
The Southern Consortium for Children, in collaboration with the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-COM) and four regional mental health agencies, has been awarded a three-year grant from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant award is for $250,000 per year and will fund Ohio's first community and clinic-based telehealth program. Funding will provide for videoconferencing technology between twelve sites throughout the ten-county region paving the way for:
- telepsychiatry and telepsychotherapy,
- expansion of distance leaning programs,
- and enhanced management capability between regional, main, and satellite mental health clinics.
Other Initiatives
Over the years the SCC has been a leader in the development of program services and initiatives such as:
- outpatient child psychiatry;
- advanced practice nursing in support of child psychiatry;
- treatment foster care;
- home-based services;
- children's case management; outcome measures; and
- employment programs for children and adults with behavioral and/or physical disabilities.
