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Dr. Sheila Marcus, a child psychiatrist at the University of Michigan, attended a national meeting and learned of the first child psychiatry access programs (CPAP). Inspired to start a CPAP in Michigan, Dr. Marcus met with leadership from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to discuss this idea.
Dr. Marcus collaborated with key advocates for children’s and women’s mental health at MDHHS to determine what the scope and model would look like in Michigan and to apply for funding.
MC3 was launched in partnership with MDHHS and local Community Mental Health (CMH) Services. The program had modest beginnings, providing telepsychiatry consultation in Kalamazoo, Washtenaw county, and a few northern, rural Michigan counties. Initial funding came through gifts from the Ravitz Foundation, the Ethel & James Flinn Foundation, and Rachel Mary Upjohn Meador.
With additional support coming from Michigan’s Mental Health and Wellness Commission funds, MC3’s services expanded into 22 Michigan counties and the program began offering perinatal consultations under the direction of perinatal psychiatrist Dr. Maria Muzik.
MC3 expanded to serve 39 counties in Michigan and began integrating Behavioral Health Consultants into local medical practices.
Recognizing the need for additional mental and behavioral health training among health care providers, MC3 started offering educational opportunities online.
MC3 began partnering with community stakeholders to provide educational conferences focusing on the needs and concerns of specific communities and populations.
MC3 officially expanded statewide into all 83 counties after receiving funding from a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant through MDHHS. As part of this funding, MC3 also began a partnership with Michigan State University (MSU) to provide education for providers in Michigan.
To answer the ongoing need for training among providers, MC3 launched live educational webinars.
Dr. Muzik secured additional funding to allow for enhanced perinatal provider support and direct care for patients through Perinatal Patient Care services. Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing mental health crisis, MC3 initiated in-home telepsychiatry.
The MC3 online consult process was created, making it easier for providers to access consultations.
MC3 began offering Project ECHO® training opportunities to bring together a virtual community of professionals to share support, guidance, and feedback while learning best practices to improve behavioral health treatment.
MDHHS received a grant from HRSA to expand MC3 consulting services to school mental health professionals, emergency services professionals, and pediatric subspecialists.
MC3 provides a suite of behavioral and mental health services, including no-cost psychiatric consultations, to support health care providers and their patients in Michigan.
MC3 offers live educational trainings as well as previously recorded presentations on behavioral and mental health topics. CME credits are available for some trainings.
MC3 has free resources available for download, including Psychopharmacology Reference Cards, Pediatric Resource Library, Perinatal Provider Toolkit, and Parent Toolkit.