Project Launch
Oregon
Funded Years : 2009
Project Director :
Beth Gebstadt
971-673-1495
beth.gebstadt@state.or.us
Address :
800 NE Oregon Street Suite 825
Portland,OR 97232
Project Status : Active
Project Summary : Oregon LAUNCH seeks to create a shared vision for young child wellness in support of both state and locally coordinated child-serving systems. The Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division, the Deschutes County Health Services, and state and local partners will collaborate to plan, implement, and evaluate the project. Over five years, the Project LAUNCH grant will facilitate an integrated, holistic system of wellness, prevention, and treatment services for 1,500 children, from birth to age 8, and their families in Deschutes County.
The pilot site, Deschutes County, is the fastest growing county in Oregon. The target population is 94 percent white and 6 percent minority (mostly Hispanic), and home to 19,374 children ages 0–9. This historically rural county is evolving into a more urban environment, with all of the associated challenges and health risks. Many children are at risk due to family poverty and substance abuse, which is borne out by the high rates of child abuse and neglect and youth suicide in the county. There are multiple barriers to care, including lack of parent awareness of services, lack of insurance, or the absence of a “medical home.” The unemployment rate is higher than the state average. Child readiness for kindergarten is an ongoing concern. Together, these challenges underscore the need for a more comprehensive and effective young child wellness system.
Project LAUNCH Goals
At the state level:
• Strengthen the infrastructure of and coordination and collaboration among the state systems serving young children and their families
• Build on Oregon's Early Childhood Comprehensive Services System plan, coordinating systems administered by multiple lead agencies
• Establish a State Young Child Wellness Council linked to the Governor's Council on Early Childhood Matters, which serves as the foundation for statewide system improvements across young child domains
• Apply lessons learned from the implementation of the local LAUNCH project
At the local level:
• Strengthen the infrastructure of and coordination and collaboration among the Deschutes County systems serving young children and their families
• Strengthen the capacity of the early childhood workforce to provide integrated and comprehensive services to young children and their families
• Implement universal developmental screening, including social-emotional development, using validated tools
• Integrate behavioral health programs and practices into school-based health clinics and other community pediatric provider settings
• Strengthen collaboration between the existing Parents as Teachers program and other public health home-visitation programs
• Increase family strengthening and parent skills training by expanding Parenting Wisely and Incredible Years and initiating Parent Child Interaction Therapy
• Make mental health consultation available to primary care providers, and enhance consultation for child care providers
• Increase public awareness and knowledge of child wellness among parents and other early caregivers through a Young Child Wellness campaign
Strategies
At the state-level, the Oregon LAUNCH initiative will strengthen the infrastructure, coordination and collaboration among state level systems serving young children and their families. The project will implement state level changes in child wellness policy, service systems, financing, and data collection, as indicated by the Oregon LAUNCH strategic plan.
To achieve its goals, Oregon LAUNCH will provide several evidence based practices including: universal screening using ASQ, ASQ-SE, PEDS, and Devereaux; mental health consultation; Promoting First Relationships; Parenting Wisely; Incredible Years; Parents as Teachers and Parent Child Interaction Therapy. Many services will be managed through school-based health clinics, where a multi-disciplinary team will provide and coordinate developmental screening, health and mental health services, referral and follow up.
Expected Outcomes
The primary anticipated outcome of Oregon LAUNCH will be improvements in children's health and school readiness. The project in Deschutes County will increase the number of children with a medical home and with access to behavioral health services in a non-stigmatizing setting. The long-term goal of Oregon LAUNCH is to apply the lessons learned in Deschutes County statewide, thereby increasing the number of Oregon children who are healthy and learning successfully.
Evidence-Based Programs :
Parenting Wisely
Parents as Teachers
Incredible Years
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
