WCAAP Training Providers on Adolescent & Maternal Depression Screening

Michelle Izumizaki, MPH
Program Coordinator, WCAAP

WCAAP has been holding free 90-minute trainings throughout the state to support pediatric health care providers to provide Adolescent and Maternal Depression Screenings in their practices. We have trained 83 pediatric health care providers to date in standard of care for adolescent and maternal depression screening as well as where to turn for help.

In addition to providing regional, in-person trainings, we have produced a webinar, featuring the same content with Dr. Bob Hilt, that you may view at any time for CME. A link to this webinar can be found online. 

Our first in-person training was held April 7 with Dr. Tsering Lhewa MD, FAAP, in Vancouver. Twenty-one providers from the Southwest Washington attended, including family practice and behavioral health providers. The Pediatric Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (P-TCPI) Behavioral Health Champion for the Southwest Washington ACH, Helen Sullivan, was also present and provided local behavioral health resource sheets for clinics to take back and share with their patients.

On April 18 we held an in-person training in Yakima with Dr. Thatcher Felt and our Greater Columbia Behavioral Health Champion, Rick George of Comprehensive Health Care. Eleven providers attended, including physicians and nurse practitioners. The audience engaged in discussions about prescribing medication, billing questions, and different screening tools used in clinics.

Our most recent training was held May 8 in Tacoma with Dr. Jennifer Hartz. The audience of 21 attendees were mostly physicians and nurse practitioners from Multicare, Pediatrics NW, SeaMar, and other clinics in Pierce County. UW nursing fellow Keyna Weymeyer-Heine provided PAL Care Guides for our attendees and led an informative discussion about the Partnership Access Line as an important resource for providers.

Please consider joining us for an upcoming in-person training session in your region:

Olympia, June 13
Mount Vernon, June 16
Yakima – Pediatric Population Health Forum, September 22
Wenatchee, October 11