The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska: A Creative Solution to a Persistent Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage.

States all across the United States are experiencing a shortage in their behavioral health workforces. Although many studies have suggested factors that contribute to or mitigate the shortage-particularly in rural and underserved areas-no nationwide guidance exists on best practices to develop a behavioral health workforce that can meet community need. The Behavioral Health Education of Nebraska (BHECN) can serve as an exemplar for others looking to take a multifaceted approach to develop the behavioral health workforce in their community.

The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska: A Creative Solution to a Persistent Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage.

States all across the United States are experiencing a shortage in their behavioral health workforces. Although many studies have suggested factors that contribute to or mitigate the shortage-particularly in rural and underserved areas-no nationwide guidance exists on best practices to develop a behavioral health workforce that can meet community need. The Behavioral Health Education of Nebraska (BHECN) can serve as an exemplar for others looking to take a multifaceted approach to develop the behavioral health workforce in their community.

Promoting Earlier Access to Pediatric Behavioral Health Services with Colocated Care.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether youth access behavioral health (BH) care earlier (i.e., when problems are less severe) when receiving services in colocated pediatric primary care clinics.

Pediatric primary care psychologists' reported level of integration, billing practices, and reimbursement frequency.

Introduction: Integration of psychological services into pediatric primary care is increasingly common, but models of integration vary with regard to their level of coordination, colocation, and integration. High-integration models may provide some distinct advantages, such as preventative care and brief consultation for subclinical behavior concerns; however, psychologists face barriers to seeking reimbursement for these services. Alternatives to traditional psychotherapy and psychological testing codes, specifically Health & Behavior (H&B) codes, have been proposed as 1 method for supporting integrated care.

Physician Satisfaction With Integrated Behavioral Health in Pediatric Primary Care.

As the benefits of integrated behavioral health care services are becoming more widely recognized, this study investigated physician satisfaction with ongoing integrated psychology services in pediatric primary care clinics. Data were collected across 5 urban and 6 rural clinics and demonstrated the specific factors that physicians view as assets to having efficient access to a pediatric behavioral health practitioner. Results indicated significant satisfaction related to quality and continuity of care and improved access to services.

The Munroe-Meyer Approach: Continuous Integration of Didactic Instruction, Research, and Clinical Practice.

Increased demand for applied behavior analysis (ABA) services has increased the need for additional masters-level practitioners and doctoral-level academicians and clinical directors. Based on these needs, the University of Nebraska Medical Center's (UNMC) Munroe-Meyer Institute has developed a PhD program. The academic structure at UNMC allowed us to create our PhD program in a relatively quick and efficient manner.