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CarePlus presents school-based mental-health pilot to New Milford board; program billed to insurance, officials say
Summary
Anne Marie Dehoff of CarePlus New Jersey told the New Milford Public School District board that a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model could deliver voluntary, confidential mental-health care on school grounds at no cost to the district, billing Medicaid and other insurers and offering walk-in access and care coordination.
Anne Marie Dehoff, senior vice president for CCBHC Strategies and Innovations at CarePlus New Jersey, presented a school-based mental-health pilot to the New Milford Public School District board, saying the program would offer walk-in access, short wait times and nine core services while billing insurance rather than the district.
"My name is Anne Marie Dehoff, and I am the senior vice president for CCBHC Strategies and Innovations at CarePlus New Jersey," Dehoff told the board, describing the CCBHC model and its emphasis on care coordination. She said the program is voluntary and confidential and that CarePlus would use its electronic health record to measure outcomes.
Dehoff said the model will not cost the district: "This is not at a cost to the school. This is something where we are billing the benefits of the individual." She added CarePlus uses presumptive eligibility and state payment-processing mechanisms to enroll families who lack coverage.
During a detailed question-and-answer period, board members and administrators pressed CarePlus on liability, clinician screening and logistics. A board member asked how the district’s liability would be handled if clinicians treat students on campus. Dehoff said CarePlus staff are licensed, have malpractice coverage and would name the district as an additional insured where appropriate; she said the organization carries a broad umbrella policy and that clinicians are credentialed to the same standards required of school staff.
On parental consent and confidentiality, Dehoff said families would sign an acknowledgement that the district offers the service, complete benefit-assignment paperwork when needed, and participate in a referral process. She said the program would work with families on enrollment and that in pilots elsewhere the school-based option increased attendance: one young person with 12 absences began attending because of an on-site appointment.
Board members and administrators discussed where services would be delivered (group sessions, individual sessions, scheduling during noninstructional periods) and whether sites could preserve student privacy. Dehoff said services can be scheduled during gym or lunch and that group and individual formats are possible depending on need.
The board did not take a formal vote on a contract at the meeting. Administrators described the proposal as a pilot and said they will continue reviewing logistics, insurance and screening procedures before bringing any agreement forward for formal approval.
