ОКСАРМАР Psychiatric Teleconsultation Service: Associations of Provider Enrollment, Social Deprivation, Child Abuse, and Barriers to Access

Purpose: Oklahoma has one of the highest per capita rates of pediatric mental health needs in the United States. In October 2022, the Oklahoma Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health Access Program (OKCAPMAP) was launched to deliver mental health and psychiatric consultation services to primary care physicians across the state. Project planning incorporated a provider recruitment committee to target providers in underserved and rural communities with barriers to mental health services. Thus, this study aimed to determine if, after 18 months of activity, provider enrollment aligned with this mission.

Design/Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from OKCAPMAP. We report the number and type of enrolled providers and information extracted from consultation requests including generalized patient demographics and the mental health conditions for which the request was made. We then used the sum of providers pooled at the zip code tabulation area (ZTCA) level to measure correlations with the Social Deprivation Index (SDI), frequency of child abuse filings, and other barriers associated with access for individuals seeking treatment.

Results: As of April 30th, 2024, OKCAPMAP had enrolled 384 providers in 37 of the 77 counties of Oklahoma. Correlations of providers enrolled at the ZCTA showed significant (P<.01), positive relationships with frequency of child abuse filings (R=0.39), percent of rented households (R=0.36), those with high housing cost burden (R=0.27), percent of households lacking a vehicle (R=0.19), single parent household (R=0.17), and the SDI (R=0.10).

Conclusion: OKCAPMAP data shows successful recruitment of providers where there are high rates of pediatric trauma and in areas where household access to psychiatric services may be limited. By creating an accessible framework to provide free mental health consultations to pediatric-serving primary care providers in these areas, OKCAPMAP will likely have a significant impact on families and communities across Oklahoma.