Children and adolescents in crisis have scarce options for psychiatric treatment in North Idaho.

Dr. Jeffrey Shirts of Lakeside Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in Coeur d’Alene, said no adolescent psychiatrists practice in the area, and patients often travel to Boise or Spokane for treatment. 

That's why Shirts is excited about a new resource called the Idaho Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line, or ID-PPAL, that will connect pediatric healthcare providers with licensed child and adolescent psychiatrists, allowing same-day treatment. 

“This is something I’ve wanted for a long time,” Shirts said. “It’s going to allow us to have a very quick turnaround and hopefully will allow us to take better care of our patients.”

The University of Idaho’s School of Health and Medical Professions developed the ID-PPAL program over three years, funded by a $1.2 million grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program.

The ID-PPAL team met with practitioners at Lakeside Pediatric on Nov. 6 to discuss plans to implement the program in the spring. Lakeside Pediatric will be one of the first providers in the state to adopt the program and will help develop it through feedback. 

According to the University of Idaho's School of Health and Medical Professions, Idaho is the only state in the nation without a pediatric access line. Idaho ranks 48th in the nation for mental health based on rates of mental illness and access to care.

“Idaho’s primary care providers have become the front line for pediatric behavioral health simply because there are not enough child psychiatrists to go around,” said School of Health and Medical Professions co-director Russell Baker, Ph.D. “This funding lets us give them the backup they never had.”

When North Idaho providers like Shirts receive a patient with complex mental health struggles, they face a lack of resources. 

Shirts said he received an 8-year-old patient a couple of years ago and did not know where to refer her for psychiatric treatment, as Kootenai Health’s Youth Acute Unit does not admit patients under 10. Idaho Medicaid covered the patient, so she could not go to Spokane and had to travel to Boise for treatment.

“I had nowhere to send her,” Shirts said. “She’s the patient that made me wish I had someone I could call.”

Shirts hopes the ID-PPAL program will transform youth psychiatric care in Coeur d’Alene and across Idaho. When Lakeside Pediatric receives a patient with mental health needs, the provider will use the access line to contact a psychiatrist for a treatment plan.

If the patient’s needs are more complex, Shirts said the psychiatrist can meet remotely with the patient and the family. 

“We will have a direct line to make those plans immediately,” Shirts said, "and get their recommendations about what to do with the patient’s mental health needs.”

Along with the consultation line, the ID-PPAL program will develop a centralized hub of clinical tools and resources for patient care. It will also offer free statewide virtual education sessions for providers focused on pediatric behavioral health. 

Clinic staff and providers are invited to pre-enroll in the ID-PPAL program. 

Info: go.uidaho.edu/idppal