Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions
for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) is a federal initiative funded by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The
population of focus is children ages birth to 8. The goal is for all children
to enter school with the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills they
need to succeed.
Project
LAUNCH is a five-year grant that was awarded to the State of Oregon from
2009-2014. Deschutes County served as the pilot site for this project.
Project LAUNCH had five prevention and promotion strategies.
These include:
-
Screening and assessment in a range of child-serving settings
-
Integration of behavioral health into primary care
-
Mental health consultation in early care and education
-
Enhanced home visiting with a focus on social and emotional
well-being
-
Family strengthening and parent skills training
Project LAUNCH also has five objectives. These include:
-
Increase access to screening, assessment, and referral to
appropriate services for young children and families
-
Expand use of culturally relevant, evidence-based prevention and
wellness promotion practices in a range of child-serving settings
-
Increase integration of behavioral health into primary care
settings
-
Improve coordination and collaboration across disciplines at the
local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal levels
-
Increase workforce knowledge of children’s social and emotional
development and skills to respond to behavioral health challenges of young
children and families