On April 19, 2016 The National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives (NPSC), with input from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Coalition for the Promotion of Behavioral Health, the American Board of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, Mental Health America, the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, and the National Association for Rural Mental Health, hosted a briefing with nationally recognized experts on pediatric health care and the prevention of behavioral health problems.

 

Numerous evidence-based programs have proven effective in helping parents to prevent children’s disruptive, oppositional and defiant behaviors; anxiety and depressive symptoms; tobacco, alcohol and drug misuse; aggression, delinquency, and violence. Pediatric and family practice physicians are trusted advisers to parents on all aspects of their children’s health. Yet, current policies discourage primary health care providers from providing parents with these tested and effective programs. The cost of not receiving these programs is high - behavioral health issues cost America $247 billion per year.

 

This briefing summarized the effectiveness of family focused preventive interventions, shared the life changing experiences of people who have participated, and explored the potential for integrating effective family-focused preventive interventions into primary health care to measurably improve population health.

 

Dr. Diana Fishbein, C. Eugene Bennett Chair of Prevention Research at The Penn State University and Co-Director of the NPSC moderated the event and made opening remarks (click here to view the opening remarks).

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Click here to review a paper, written by many of our speakers below, which sets out the scientific foundation and makes the case for providing and funding family focused interventions for preventing children's behavioral health problems through primary health care.