Fine Award

Fine Foundation Recognizes Integrative
Behavioral Health Services Initiative

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC), Children?s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) and Children?s Community Pediatrics (CCP) have been recognized for their efforts to successfully provide early access to integrative behavioral health services in the pediatric medical home.  The organizations were presented with the Bronze Award at the Fifth Annual Fine Awards for Teamwork Excellence in Healthcare at a reception hosted at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. 

Abigail Schlesinger, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Behavioral Health in Children?s Community Pediatrics, and Martin Lubetsky, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Center for Autism and Development Disorders Services at WPIC, represented the Institute at the awards ceremony.  Dr. Schlesinger worked closely with Dr. Lubetsky and leaders at Children?s Hospital and Children?s Community Pediatrics to develop and implement this unique program.

The Fine Awards, sponsored by The Fine Foundation and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, were established to recognize the critical role teamwork plays in health care. This year?s awards honored organizations that have improved outcomes for patients who are transitioning in and out of, or between, different types of care settings and providers.  The Jewish Healthcare Foundation web site features a video on the Bronze Award and this unique collaboration between WPIC, CHP and CCP.

This collaborative effort between pediatricians, licensed clinical social workers, psychologists and child and adolescent psychiatrists, is designed to provide timely access to high-quality, empirically supported behavioral health assessments, and behavioral and psychiatric interventions to children and families in an integrated model of care provided within the pediatric primary care office.  The program also earned Patient Care and Innovator awards from the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania in May 2012.