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

Published In

Families in Society-The Journal of Contemporary Social Services

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

12-23-2022

Abstract

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.

Rights

© The Author(s) 2022, Article Reuse Guidelines

DOI

10.1177/10443894221133500

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40542

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