Project Description
The Alamance County Health Department contracted with the Center for Child and Family Policy to conduct the external evaluation of Project LAUNCH, a demonstration project for the wellness of young children and the development of state- and locally-based networks for the coordination of key child-serving systems. LAUNCH aimed to create a preventive system of care for children birth-to-8 years of age and their families by enabling a child’s medical home to act as a portal for screening and identifying potential concerns in the areas of physical, social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral health. A medical home is a patient-centered, team-based health care delivery model led by a physician that provides comprehensive and continuous medical care to patients, with the goal of obtaining maximized health outcomes. Care coordination is an essential component of a medical home. Its goals are better access to health care, increased satisfaction with care, and improved health. The Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, and American Osteopathic Association have collaborated in creating this concept and promoting it across the country.
Five strategies were used to create the preventive system of care: developmental and social-emotional screens and assessments, integration of behavioral health care into primary care, home visiting programs, mental health consultation and family strengthening and parent skills training.