Advocates Identify Ways to Improve Youth Behavioral Health Services in Peoria Area

July 30, 2024

Original coverage in WCBU by Camryn Cutinello.

Shorter wait lists, better transportation and a stronger workforce are some of the needs advocates say will improve youth behavioral health services in the Peoria area.

Birth to Five Illinois was founded through a partnership between the state of Illinois and the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. The goal is to use community input to find ways to improve childcare in Illinois.

The latest regional reports released by the organization focus on behavioral health. They include strengths each region has, and identify what's needed to improve services.

Felicia Farden is the regional council manager for Tazewell, Woodford and Mason counties.

“A lot of families live in rural areas,” she said. “So, we found that the biggest access barriers were families that live in rural areas, families who utilize Medicaid and families that have little-to-no access to financial resources, they face the hardest time finding mental and behavioral health resources.”

A limited number of providers accepting Medicaid is another barrier to care in Peoria County.

Farden said low reimbursement rates are one factor, adding providers also reject Medicaid because they can't charge for a missed appointment, which can cost them money.

“There is a shortage of certain therapists, especially when we talk about those that serve children and serve young children,” said Kari Clark, regional council manager for Peoria County. “There's just a shortage of providers there. So that's the initial barrier and then you throw an insurance issue on top of that, depending on the family's situation.”

She said workforce issues further limits the number of providers, creating long wait lists.

Flo James is the president of the Tri-County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She said finding a doctor who specializes in children's behavioral health is one of the biggest challenges she hears from parents — especially for children under age 5.

“I really think a lot of it is just because there's not enough research being done,” James said. “And there's not enough licensed professionals that are really focusing their specialty towards children.”

She'd like to see more incentives to get current college students to enter the behavioral health field.

Farden said the workforce issue is directly tied to pay, adding it costs money to get licensed in child-focused therapies — but it often doesn't lead to a jump in pay.

Residents in rural areas also face transportation barriers, with some families facing drives of 45 minutes or longer to get care. Farden saids home visitation services have helped mediate some of those concerns east of the river.

James said the Peoria-area needs more services for children with autism.

“Autism is not something that can be cookie cutter boxed in,” she said. “Because most of our children that are living with autism and thriving with autism, they have multiple other diagnoses, right, in regards to mental health."

Early Intervention

Reducing the stigma around children's behavioral health is another regional need.

Often, James said, parents feel their child's behavioral health issues are caused by something they did. But that's rarely the case, she said.

She said not every child reaches every developmental checkpoint at the same time — and that's OK.

“Take the limits off your kid, right? Take the limits off yourself,” she said. “And embrace the fact that your child has a special unique way of learning and thriving. And if you would just allow them to show you what they can do, they will probably blow your mind.”

Farden said that early intervention can be key to helping children's behavioral health.

“As a parent of a child that's autistic, the sooner you get them help, the better off you will be,” she said. “Even if you're not ready to say, to get that label, to get that diagnosis, there are still resources that can be provided. That can help with development.”

Clark said taking a child to a specialist when they're young doesn't always mean they'll need extra help forever.

“That doesn't mean it's going to be a lifetime of therapy,” she said. “It may just be a short time. Or it may just be trying to figure out the right medication for that family, for that child. And so it puts everyone and the whole family in a better situation. Because if a child is needing help, it's probably stressing the family as well.”

Birth to Five Illinois has interest forms open for action and family councils to begin implementing suggestions included in the reports.

Farden said anyone can join regardless of background.

“We like to talk to people from the chambers of commerce, people from corporations, businesses in our area,” she said. “Early childhood affects everybody in some sort of way. And then family council, we need your stories, we need your experiences.”

Birth to Five Illinois' regional reports and council interest forms can be found at their website.