GPE – The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Report of Outcomes – Academic Year 2005

March 30, 2006

The following is a description of participating trainees, training activities, and children served during the 2005 academic year.

Six training rotations are offered:

Adolescent HIV – Based in one of CHOP’s Primary Care Centers in West Philadelphia, this initiative addresses the needs of youth from 14 to 24 years who have been diagnosed as having HIV/AIDS. Approximately 80% of the youth are African American, and 40% are if diverse sexual orientation. Primary presenting problems presented by the youth include depression, adjustment to illness, risky sexual behavior, disclosure of disease to others, and substance use. Trainees are involved in assessing emotional and cognitive functioning, monitoring of medical and psychosocial progress, and providing individual therapy.

Primary Care – Based in one of CHOP’s Primary Care Centers in West Philadelphia, this initiative addresses the needs of children between the ages of 3 and 14, and their families. Over 90% of the families are African American and most live in poverty. Primary presenting problems are disruptive behavior, anxiety, depression, truancy, and symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders. Trainees participate in clinical interviewing, treatment planning, providing brief family therapy, and consulting with pediatricians and other community-based professionals.

ADHD in Primary Care – Based in one of CHOP’s Primary Care Centers in West Philadelphia, this initiative addresses the needs of children between the ages of 4 and 17 years who are coping with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive behavior, learning disabilities, anxiety, and depression. Thus far, 100% of the children served through this service have been African American and all of the families have been eligible for public assistance. Trainees participate in diagnostic interviewing and testing, consultation with pediatricians, conferencing with parents, teacher consultation, and parent training.

Behavioral Health in Schools – Based in a middle school in North Philadelphia, this initiative addresses the needs of children between the ages of 10 and 15 years, and their families. Approximately 70% of the children are Hispanic and 30% are African American. Primary presenting problems are ADHD symptoms, aggression, school refusal, academic underachievement, history of trauma or abuse, anxiety, depression, and bereavement. Trainees participate in conducting psychoeducational and psychiatric evaluations, consulting with teachers, providing individual and family therapy, and providing group training in anger management.

Starting Young -  Based in a Primary Care Center in West Philadelphia, this initiative serves the needs of young children ages 3 to 33 months who are involved in the child welfare system. The children are referred because of concerns about developmental delay, but they may also present with behavior problems, sleep problems, anxiety, and a wide range of medical conditions. Approximately 70% of the children are African American and 16% are biracial.  Trainees participate in interviewing parents/caregivers, conducting psychological evaluations of cognitive and social-emotional development, developing behavioral intervention plans, and providing follow-up care.

Friend-to-Friend – Based in elementary schools in West Philadelphia, this initiative targets girls who are at risk for aggression, including both physical and relational forms of aggression. Interventions are provided in small groups and prevention programming is offered in classrooms. Over 80% of the children reside in low-income families and over 95% are African American.  Trainees participate in conducting behavioral observations, providing group interventions, providing class-wide prevention programs, and evaluating outcomes.

Primary Care – Brief child and family therapy provided in a primary care context resulted in a reduction in school truancy and an improvement in parent-child relationships for a 14 year old boy.

Adolescent HIV – Brief individual therapy resulted improved adherence with medical treatment and the ability to sustain employment for a youth with HIV/AIDS.

ADHD in Primary Care – Evaluation and follow-up services for a 17 year old female with ADHD resulted in more consistent adherence with medication treatment and willingness to initiate short-term psychotherapy.

Behavioral Health in Schools – Evaluation and follow-up services for an 11 year old boy with depression and oppositional behavioral resulted in his weekly participation in a school-based anger management intervention program.

Starting Young – Among children receiving developmental evaluations for this program, 61% of those recommended for early intervention program actually became enrolled in services.

Friend-to-Friend – Group intervention involving a fifth grade female resulted in a substantial reduction in aggressive behavior and a noticeable improvement in leadership skills and other prosocial behaviors.