(PS6-98) Examining the Impact of “building Early Connections,” an Early Childhood Integrated Primary Care Program on Chicago's West Side

One in five children experiences a behavioral health (BH) disorder, with developmental and behavioral patterns often emerging early in life. Although early childhood BH interventions can result in profound effects, most families who need services do not receive them, with reduced access for those from minority groups. One strategy for increasing timely access to services is to integrate BH screening, referral, and intervention processes into pediatric primary care. This study examined the impact of Building Early Connections (BEC), an early childhood integrated BH program at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC), an academic medical center located in the heart of Chicago’s historically underserved West Side community. The BEC model includes screening for early childhood developmental, behavioral, or social emotional concerns using the Survey of Well-Being for Children (SWYC), with positive screens being routed to the BEC clinical team for brief BH intervention (primarily parent focused cognitive behavioral psychotherapy). The sample included patients ages 9 months through 60 months, presenting to pediatric Well Child visits between January 2018 and July 2023 (N = 52,355 visits, 51.1% male, 48.9% Medicaid), with BEC launching in October, 2020. Preliminary analyses demonstrated an increase in SWYC screening from Pre-BEC (n = 0) to BEC (n = 14,726; 53.7% of visits). There was an increase in referrals for BH intervention from Pre-BEC (n = 0) to BEC (n = 2,037). For visits in which screening occurred, 11.7% resulted in a BH referral, and 28.7% of referrals resulted in a psychotherapy appointment at RUMC within 6 months. There were more psychotherapy visits during the BEC period (n = 1,054, 3.9% of BEC cohort) than during pre-BEC (n = 84, 0.4% of Pre-BEC cohort). Sixty eight percent of patients seen for psychotherapy during the BEC period were on Medicaid.  Analyses of financial data are underway to identify the cost of this programming to the healthcare system and consumer. BEC processes resulted in substantial increases in BH screening, referrals, and intervention for children 5 and under receiving primary care at RUMC. Ongoing efforts toward BH integration into pediatric visits will enhance access for underserved groups.