Through a 5 year grant received from HRSA, the AAP has established the National Rural Adolescent and Child Health (NRACH) ECHO Training Center to help ensure that children and adolescents who live in rural and frontier communities have access to pediatric mental and behavioral health services and quality pediatric care to support optimal health outcomes and improved quality of life.

The NRACH ECHO Training Center will host ECHO programs for providers to help build capacity and also provide ECHO immersion training and technical assistance to organizations interested in becoming an ECHO hub.

ECHO Programs

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) programs create knowledge networks by using technology to connect specialty care providers and subject matter experts with care teams in rural and underserved areas.  AAP ECHO programs utilize an “all-teach, all-learn” approach that includes a combination of didactic learning about best-practices, case studies from participants, and quality improvement protocols to improve care delivery.


Ongoing ECHO Programs

Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT): Serves as a forum for pediatricians and other healthcare professionals in rural and frontier communities to address substance use concerns in adolescents using Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), and evidence-based approach to treating substance use.

AAP Rural Pediatrics-Obesity ECHO: Serves as a forum for pediatric clinicians, family physicians, and other personnel in rural and frontier communities to address gaps in everyday care.


Upcoming ECHO Programs

Youth Mental Health ECHO

For more information or questions? Contact the NRACH ECHO Training Center.


Completed ECHO Programs

AAP Rural Pediatrics-Obesity ECHO: The goal of this ECHO was to build the capacity of primary care providers who live in or serve rural and frontier communities to address obesity in pediatric patients in their communities.

AAP Rural Pediatrics-Anxiety and Depression: The goal of this ECHO was to build the capacity of primary care providers who live in or serve rural and frontier communities to provide quality behavioral and mental health care with a focus on anxiety and depression.

Rural Pediatrics ECHO Training

Interested in participating in future Project ECHO trainings on Mental/Behavioral Health and Primary Care in a rural setting?
Complete this short Interest Form to let us know.

ECHO Hub Training

ECHO immersion training and technical assistance are available for organizations interested in becoming an ECHO hub to serve children and adolescents in rural communities.
If you're interested in becoming a hub, contact us

Rural Pediatrics ECHO Learning Collaborative

A quarterly call open to anyone who is currently running, or interested in learning more, about ECHO programs focused on the rural pediatric population.
If interested, complete this short form

Training Needs Assessment Survey Results

The AAP conducted a needs assessment survey (July - August 2022) with rural primary care clinicians to determine areas of interest and need to be addressed in a pediatric-focused ECHO program.

View Results

 

Webinars

Pediatric Mental Health Care: The Role of the Rural Primary Care Provider
In this webinar participants learned about strategies and best practices for addressing pediatric health issues in their rural primary care settings.
Adolescent Health Communication
Participants learned about the TALK: Toolkit for Adolescent Care project, a clinic-level program created by the University of Minnesota Healthy Youth Development-Prevention Resource Center (UMN HYD-PRC) and were introduced to the Support & Guide framework and how to apply it in their practice
Responding to Pediatric Mental Health Crisis: How Pediatric Mental Health Access Programs (PMHCA) Create Impact in Rural Settings
This webinar participants learned about the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program (PMHCA) model and what AAP technical assistance, training and resources are available to rural practices to respond to pediatric mental care needs.

Related AAP Resources & Initiatives

Click on the resources below to learn more about related initiatives.

Adolescent Health Care Resources for Teens

Understanding their own health care needs and issues can help adolescents lead healthy and happy lives. The resources on this page will provide adolescent with information about their bodies and health, confidentiality, and other general health information.

Mental Health

The AAP supports a developmental approach to children's mental health that encompasses primary prevention through promoting social-emotional health and safe, nurturing relationships; secondary prevention through screening, identification and assessment; and tertiary prevention through treatment and co-management with mental health professionals.

Early Relational Health

Early relational health is a framework that explores the role of early relationships and experiences in healthy development across a child's lifetime. Relationships, especially in the early years, are biological necessities to build a foundation for lifelong growth an development.

Pediatric Mental Health Access (PMHCA) Technical Assistance Program

The AAP PMHCA Technical Assistance Program provides technical assistance to primary care providers (PCPs) to support them in their management and care of mental health concerns in practice and to promote the use of local and region PMHCA programs across the country.

Project ECHO

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) serves as leader in developing, training, supporting, and leading pediatric-specific ECHOs. The AAP has created and launched over 100 ECHO programs in over 20 topics.

Minimizing Telehealth Technology Barriers in Rural and Underserved Communities

Practical ideas to help pediatricians, who serve in rural and underserved communities, overcome four common technology-related telehealth barriers.


Medical Directors:

Marian Earls MD, MTS, FAAP-Medical Director
Elizabeth Alderman MD, FAAP, FSAHM-Medical Director

AAP Staff:

Debra Waldron, MD, MPH, FAAP-Principal Investigator
Julie Gorzkowski, MSW-Content Director
Julia Matakis, MPH, PCC-Senior Manger, Mental Health Programs
Rosalinda Saucedo, MS, CHES-Program Manger, Rural Health
Oyinkansola Oloniniyi, MPH – Program Manager, ECHO Initiatives
Erika Davis, PhD, MPH – Manager, Program Evaluation

This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $475,000 with 100% funded by HRSA/HHS. 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.

Last Updated

02/21/2024

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics