he New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative (NJPPC), established in 2015, is a grant-funded program by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) that partners with Hackensack Meridian Health, Atlantic Health Systems, Cooper University Health Care, and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. The program provides free statewide psychiatric consultation and care coordination for children and adolescents with mental health and substance abuse issues, supporting primary care providers and sub-specialists through nine Regional Hubs.
NJPPC’s mission is to transform access to mental health care by empowering pediatricians. This is achieved by facilitating early identification of mental health concerns, providing consultations with Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (CAPs), and connecting families to mental health resources. With over 750 participating pediatric clinicians, the program has screened over 210,000 patients and provided mental health consultation services to 20,000 patients.
The program serves children up to age 18 (or 21 for patients still under pediatric care) and mandates universal mental health and substance use screenings at well visits. Pediatricians can consult NJPPC Hub professionals for guidance and refer patients to community services. Since 2020, psychiatry evaluations have also been available via telepsychiatry.
