Resources and reports

Find resources and reports presented and discussed at the Children's Mental Health Work Group (CMHWG) meetings.

Resources

The Washington State Mental Health Referral Service for children and teens

Washington’s Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens connects patients and families with evidence-supported outpatient mental health services in their community. This free, telephone-based referral service is funded by Washington Health Care Authority and operated by Seattle Children’s.

The Mental Health Referral Service will provide thorough mental health referrals for children and teens 17 and younger from across Washington.

How do families access this service?

Families can call 833-303-5437, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, to connect with a referral specialist.
We will ask for information including mental health needs, location and health insurance plan.

Pediatric mental health toolkit

The number of children seeking care for a mental health crisis in an emergency department (ED) is on the rise. Furthermore, with often limited mental health services, hospitals in rural areas bear an excessive burden.

To address these issues, the Health Resources and Services Administration released their Critical Crossroads: Pediatric Mental Health Care in the Emergency Department toolkit. A resource of literature references and tools that can be used by hospitals to support the creation of care pathways to improve the identification and management of children and adolescents who present to the ED in a mental health crisis.

The toolkit also contains a template designed to help hospitals establish a customized care pathway, with special acknowledgment given to the unique challenges that face rural communities.