The Minnesota Department of Human Services through their Children’s Mental Health Division at the State level is looking to develop an integrated system to deal with depression care management between primary healthcare and mental healthcare providers. The goal is to better identify depression in children and adolescents, provide access to evidence-based depression treatments, and this in turn should help more providers care for children and adolescents diagnosed with depression.
Approximately 9 percent of youth from 12 to 17 experiences at least one major depressive episode in a year with a lifetime prevalence rates for depression in adolescence estimated to be from 15 to 20 percent. Of those identified with depression only 17.2 to 42.9 percent received treatment for depression. Untreated depression associated with suicide, is the second leading cause of death for 15 to 19 year olds in Minnesota and the third leading cause of death for 10 to 14 year old Minnesotans.
The state of Minnesota is looking to enter into grant contracts with two primary care clinics enrolled in the Minnesota Health Care Programs to develop and integrate a depression care management system for children and adolescents that will function between primary care and mental health providers.
To address this issue, an RFP was released January 25th by the Minnesota Department of Human Services looking for responders to develop proposals in this needed treatment area.
The respondents to the RFP will be required to:
• Form a steering committee to inform and direct project goals
• Implement a tracking system and monitor the performance
• Develop universal screening for depression for all children ages 6 to 17 using the Child Depression Inventory
• Participate in educational activities on evidence-based treatment for depression
• Develop referral and treatment protocols for positive depression screening
• Develop communication and collaboration systems to go between primary care and mental health providers
The primary care clinic applicants need to obtain a Memorandum of Understanding from at least one mental healthcare clinic in their geographic region so as to partner with them on the projects.
Questions from responders regarding the RFP must be submitted by February 17, 2010 and proposals are due March 26, 2010.
Go to www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/business_partners/documents/pub/dhs16_147646.pdf for more information, or email Cheryl Sybesma, PhD, Children’s Mental Health Division, Department of Human Services at Cheryl.K.Sybesma@state.mn.us , or call (651) 431-2328.
