Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT)

Connecting Schools With Mental Health Resources for Students

The Texas Child Health Access Network Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center seeks to improve the mental health of communities across Texas through collaboration with over 200 hundred independent school districts (ISDs). TCHATT assists in directing counseling and telepsychiatry to students across our region, link families with community resources, and provide educational materials for school personnel through community learning collaboratives. TCHATT improves access to mental health care expertise through free, time-limited mental health services to children and adolescents in need of behavioral or emotional assessment and care. Services are available to students in Pre-K through 12th grade.

The TCHATT team is made up of licensed mental health clinicians, clinical child psychologists, and child and adolescent psychiatrists. If intervention is needed, the student will receive sessions with TCHATT providers via Telemedicine. If additional services are needed beyond the sessions offered, referrals and connection to services will be recommended by the TCHATT team. This may include communication with Primary Care Providers (PCP), community therapist, Local Mental Health Authorities, Communities in Schools, etc.

Texas map shaded in top qaudrants of 86 counties with "over 200 school districts" written over the expanded view of shaded regions only

TCHATT Clinical Services

Telehealth is an excellent way for youth to receive personalized, expert care for their mental health needs. This method provides convenient access to professional mental health services along with time and cost savings.

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Appointments are available 8鈥�5 p.m., Monday鈥揊riday, including most school holidays.

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Appointments are held virtually via Zoom with students and parents/guardians present.

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Contact your child鈥檚 school counselor to request a referral.

*Reach out to your school counselor if your child shows concerning changes鈥攕uch as withdrawal, mood shifts, declining academics, talk of self-harm, unexplained injuries, sudden relationship changes, or notable physical or hygiene changes. Early support can make a meaningful difference.

Is Your Local School District Enrolled in TCHATT?

To locate schools with active TCHATT access, follow the steps below:

Go to the
Choose 香蕉直播 under HRI and adjust your school TCHATT status to active

Resources

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call or text 988

If you are in crisis and one of the following applies to you:

You feel you are in immediate danger of harming yourself.
You feel you are in immediate danger of harming someone else.
You have recently been assaulted or had a traumatic experience.

Please do one of the following:

Call 911 鈥� you will be connected with the police who can help you get emergency services.
Call the StarCare Crisis Team 806.740.1414.
Go to your local emergency room.

Telemedicine, Wellness, Intervention, Triage and Referral (TWITR) & CATR

The Telemedicine Wellness Intervention Triage and Referral (TWITR) Project began in 2013 as a testable model to bring mental health services to rural school districts with limited access to care. Through telemedicine, Licensed Professional Counselors screened at-risk students referred by schools and connected those needing additional support with board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists. Psychiatrists provided clinical oversight, including referrals for medical care and medication management when needed.

Funded by a grant from the Texas Governor鈥檚 Office and the Criminal Justice Division, TWITR operated for more than five years and expanded from 10 school districts (serving approximately 30,000 students) to 22 districts serving over 100,000 students.

Due to the success of the program, the 86th Texas Legislature appropriated $5 million to expand the program in 2019, which was renamed the Campus Alliance for Telehealth Resources (CATR). In 2020, CATR merged with Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (CATR: Supported by TCHATT). As a result, children and adolescents were able to gain access to mental health clinical services, especially in mental health professional shortage areas. As part of statewide branding efforts, the program is now referred to as TCHATT.

Additionally, several education initiatives were also started in 2020 bringing much needed mental health outreach and education to school district personnel, students, and families through professional development, presentations and the School-Based Behavioral Health ECHO庐 virtual sessions. The Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model combines mental health education and live case consultation with school counselors and mental health experts to improve awareness and evidence-based strategies to address mental health challenges in children and youth.

Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT)

Established in 2019 by the 86th Texas Legislature, Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) is one of five programs developed by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC). The Consortium brings together Texas鈥� health-related institutions of higher education to improve mental health services for children and adolescents statewide.

TCHATT builds on existing telehealth models to help all public school districts in the state of Texas to identify student mental health needs and connect them with appropriate services.

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