The Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) and MassHealth Release Two New Web Publications

• A Guide for School Personnel:
  Helping Families Access MassHealth Home- and Community-Based Behavioral Health Services for Children and Youths under 21

  The Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) has produced a helpful resource guide for school personnel on MassHealth's home- and community-based behavioral health services for children and youth under age 21. Created for teachers, school nurses, health educators, psychologists, social workers, adjustment counselors, and others who interact directly with students, the school resource guide provides information useful in connecting MassHealth-eligible students with needed behavioral health services. The guide also offers valuable information on how school personnel can collaborate in Intensive Care Coordination using the Wraparound process, an approach to individualized care planning that is very effective for some youth with complex needs. Lastly, the guide provides guidance for school administrators and others interested in building systematic behavioral health supports for their students through collaboration in local System of Care Committees that can help build linkages that benefit students, families, and schools.

  The guide is linked to the title above and can also be downloaded from the CBHI website. Click on CBHI Information for Early Education and Care, Pre-K and K-12 School Staff and then click on School Personnel Resource Guide.

• A Guide to Share with Families:
  How to Apply for MassHealth for Your Child

  This application guide provides valuable step-by-step instructions for parents and caregivers for applying to MassHealth. It contains practical tips to ensure a smooth application process, links to required application forms, as well as instructions for finding these forms on the MassHealth website. The guide also provides helpful information for parents on accessing CommonHealth, the MassHealth coverage that offers benefits similar to MassHealth Standard for disabled adults and children who are ineligible for MassHealth Standard because their family income is too high.

  While the guide was developed for parents interested in enrolling their children in MassHealth in order to access its home- and community-based behavioral health services, the information is useful for anyone who wants to apply for this health coverage.

  The guide is linked to the title above and can also be downloaded from the CBHI web site. Click on CBHI Information for Members and Families and then click on How to Apply for MassHealth for Your Child.