WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today $445,000 in federal funding to the North Dakota Department of Health to help support the integration of behavioral health care into pediatric primary care.

“It’s so important that we address mental and behavioral health for children as early as possible to achieve the best outcomes,” said Heitkamp. “When pediatricians have resources to address mental health, issues can be identified earlier to make sure parents and their children are connected to the services and support they need. That is why this federal funding is critical as it will use telehealth technology to help integrate behavioral health care into pediatric care. We can and must do better for all children, so that their futures remain bright.”

This federal funding is administered through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration’s Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program. This federal grant program works to integrate behavioral health care into pediatric primary care through statewide and regional access programs through telehealth.

Heitkamp has been a strong advocate of supporting mental and behavioral health by addressing the impacts of trauma in children. Traumatic experiences can lead to severe health and behavioral complications that can impact children throughout their lives and recently several key provisions from Heitkamp’s Trauma-informed Care for Children and Families Act were included in the Opioid Crisis Response Act. The key pieces from her legislation would help to address and mitigate the detrimental impacts that exposure to trauma can have on children.