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Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line (PPCL)
Call the Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line Today!
(833) 721-2881
In Louisiana, there is an increasing need for mental health services for children, but a shortage of providers, especially in rural areas. It is often left to pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) to care for and treat children with behavioral health disorders even when it falls outside of their typical scope of work. Pediatric PCPs have reported a lack of training, confidence, and time needed to address the behavioral health needs of their patients.
Women are at an increased risk of experiencing mental health issues during pregnancy and postpartum. However, like pediatric providers, healthcare clinicians providing care for women during these times often have limited mental health training and their patients have limited access to community mental health support.
The Louisiana Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line (PPCL) is a no-cost provider-to-provider telephone consultation and education program to help pediatric and perinatal health care providers address their patients' behavioral and mental health needs. PPCL was created to help address these issues. Mental health consultation has shown to be an effective approach to addressing mental health issues within clinical settings.
How Can We Help?
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Real-time telephone consultation: A provider will be able to call PPCL at (833) 721-2881 and talk immediately to a care coordinator or mental health professional who can provide information about resources, and triage calls. A psychiatrist is available to speak with about clinical questions such as diagnoses, medications, and psychotherapy interventions for a wide range of behavioral health needs (e.g. mental health care guides, screening forms).
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Guidance: on pediatric and perinatal behavioral health issues through a TeleECHO series, webinars and in-person training events.
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Resources: to connect with community partners and agencies (e.g. intensive in-home providers, support groups).
Get Started Using the Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line
The Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line is a no-cost call line providers can use for mental health-related questions and concerns and to get connected to resources. Any pediatric or perinatal provider (OB-GYNs, family physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, doulas, general psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers and licensed professional counselors) in Louisiana can access the consultation line and utilize services provided through PPCL. Our team can provide consultation for all pediatric patients ages 0-21 and pregnant/postpartum women and their caregivers.
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If they're not already, the provider will register for PPCL—it should only take a few minutes. This helps us track what types of providers are utilizing our services so we can continue to improve them. Once registered you will be able to utilize the consultation line, TeleEcho sessions, resources and more.
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The provider calls (833) 721-2881 or requests a consult using this form and a team member will get back to you within one business day.
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A Licensed Mental Health consultant responds to questions about behavioral health and local resources, and, if necessary, connects the provider to an on-call psychiatrist who can assist with diagnostic clarification and medication management questions.
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Once complete, the provider receives a summary report of the consultation via email.
Example Scenario of When a Provider Should Call
When there are mental health-related questions, concerns, and/or resources needed. Here are a few scenarios:
A 15-year-old came into the clinic today. Mom reports he came home blackout drunk from a football game last week, and, when searching his room, his parents found marijuana. Dad is a recovering alcoholic, and the family has experienced lots of loss from both hurricanes and illness. The parents are really worried about their son. What resources are available for this child and his parents?
The mother of a two-year-old patient is reporting that her son has just been kicked out of his childcare center due to behavior. This is the second center that has kicked him out. How can I help this family?
I have a patient that is not responding to the maximum dosage of Methylphenidate, what is the next step?
As a consultation service, PPCL makes recommendations based on a single consultation and we cannot take over the care of the patient. These recommendations can be used to develop a treatment plan in the context of the provider’s clinical judgment and experiences with the child, family, and knowledge of community services.
Explore Important PPCL Web Pages
TeleECHO:
Tune in to the monthly pediatric and perinatal learning series for providers.
Resources for Providers:
Explore these resources for providers to find clinical handouts, care guides, continuing education, and more.
Resources for Families:
Check out these resources for pregnant families and families with children.
Screening Tools:
Check out this library of screening tools for providers to pregnant clients, postpartum clients, and adolescent clients with mental health concerns.
Contact
To access the consultation line, please call (833) 721-2881 or request a consult.
For questions about the PPCL program, email ppcl@la.gov.
PPCL Training Videos
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General Video Series: A playlist of webinars and trainings about ADHD, anxiety, medication guides, and more mental health topics.
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Continued Learning Series: A playlist of recordings from trainings committed to providing professional development opportunities to assist perinatal and pediatric health care providers in identifying and addressing the mental and behavioral health needs of their patients.
History of PPCL
Research findings show that mental health consultation can be successful for women with children under age 1, and may be particularly helpful in addressing the mental health needs of women and children of color. Research also shows that mental health consultation can increase a provider's ability to identify mental health needs, properly use screening tools, and identify trauma and adversity.
The vision of PPCL is for all pregnant women, postpartum women, and children (ages 0-21) and their caregivers in Louisiana, especially those in rural and underserved areas, to have access to comprehensive, integrated behavioral health services. The goal of PPCL is to increase the capacity among primary care providers to screen, diagnose, treat, and refer pediatric patients (ages 0-21) and perinatal patients presenting with mental health concerns.
Louisiana has long been recognized for its innovations in piloting mental health consultation approaches that build the capacity of health care and other professional providers to address the mental health needs of children, youth, and families. See the timeline below to learn about these efforts.
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1990’s: In partnership with Tulane University, mental health consultation was integrated into the Bureau of Family Health’s (BFH) Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
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2013: With funding from SAMHSA, BFH implemented Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) and provided early childhood mental health consultation to primary care, early intervention, and childcare providers.
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2018: BFH received a five-year grant from HRSA to develop and implement the Louisiana Mental Health Perinatal Partnership (LAMHPP), a program that builds the capacity of healthcare providers to address the mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum women through the provision of mental health consultation, training, and resource and referral support services.
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2021: BFH received another five-year grant from HRSA to implement a similar program for pediatric primary care providers which led to the development and launch of the Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line.
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2023: BFH combined both the perinatal and pediatric programs under the umbrella of the Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line, creating one program and consultation line that serves both perinatal and pediatric providers.
Meet Our Staff
Jody West, LCSW-BACS is the Program Manager with PPCL. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University in 2000. Jody’s years of social work practice have focused on working with children and their families in multiple systems and settings, including schools and home-based services.
Laina Raggette, LCSW-BACS, PMH-C is a Mental Health Consultant with PPCL. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Louisiana State University and a Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University in 2008. Laina’s years of social work practice have focused on working with adults, children, and their families in multiple systems and settings, including schools and community-based services, both stateside and abroad.
Jen Bordelon, LCSW, LAC, PMH-C obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University in 2015. Their years of social work practice have included working with individuals and families in Acadiana as well as across the state. They have nurtured a special interest in substance use disorders and attained status as a Licensed Addictions Counselor in 2015. Jen has also obtained their certification in Perinatal Mental Health from Postpartum Support International and is now working to apply accumulated clinical expertise in areas where these populations overlap.
Daniel Waldman, MD is board certified in General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He previously served as the Training Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at LSU Health in New Orleans. While on faculty, Dr. Waldman led the consult-liaison service at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. He also worked at multiple high schools and provided direct patient care and consultation for school-based professionals. He is an active member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Julianna Finelli, MD is board certified in general psychiatry and in child and adolescent psychiatry. Her academic and clinical interests focus on infant and early childhood mental health and perinatal psychiatry. She is the former medical director for the Louisiana Mental Health Perinatal Partnership (LAMHPP). She supervises residents, fellows, and medical students at the Tulane Infant Mental Health Services (TIMHS) at the Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD).
Maegen S. Vincent, MD
Maegen S. Vincent, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Tulane. Her academic and clinical interests include Reproductive and Perinatal Psychiatry as well as Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry. She serves as a perinatal psychiatry consultant for the Louisiana Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line and provides direct clinical care at her private practice in New Orleans.
Brandie Gallien, BS
Brandie Gallien, BS is an alumna of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. Brandie is a dedicated mother of two with a diverse professional background in mental health and social services. With experience as a mental health specialist, child welfare specialist with DCFS, crisis intervention expert, and human trafficking interdiction survivor advocate, she now serves as the Resource Specialist with PPCL. In this role, Brandie works behind the scenes to identify mental health supports and resources for pediatric and perinatal patients.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of awards totaling $1,892,378 with 8% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.