Impact of COVID-19 on Referral Patterns and Service Delivery for an Integrated Behavioral Health Program

• Published in: Families in society Vol. 104; no. 2; pp. 142 - 153
• Main Authors: Glaze, Kelly, Sward, Ashley, Lenne, Eline, Brown, Samantha, Rogers, Lindsey, Frankel, Karen A., Klawetter, Susanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.06.2023; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Caregivers; Children; COVID-19; Families & family life; Health behavior; Health education; Health services; Infants; Mothers; Needs; Nutrition; Nutrition programmes; Pandemics; Psychosocial factors; Psychosocial intervention; Referrals; Social factors; Special needs children; Telemedicine; Women; anti-oppressive practice; early intervention; mental health; family systems and functioning; clinical practice; community work; community practice; equity; children and families
• ISSN: 1044-3894; 1945-1350
• DOI: 10.1177/10443894221133500

The emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19 led to unprecedented changes for families and systems of care. This study sought to understand the needs of families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) before and during the pandemic and considers the impact remote service delivery has on access to an integrated behavioral health intervention to support the psychosocial needs of children and caregivers. Needs for referral varied significantly pre- and post-pandemic onset. Analyses revealed that significantly more referrals were made regarding social determinants of health after the onset of COVID-19 (13.8%) compared with prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (4.1%, p < .05). Providers’ transition to telehealth services sufficiently served WIC families.