To address the shortage of child psychiatrists, The
Children’s Home of Cincinnati has hired a pediatrician as its medical director
to find solutions to the lengthy delays faced by children who need to be
examined by mental health professionals.
Dr. Phillip K. Lichtenstein comes to The Children’s Home
with years of experience in treating the physical and mental health needs of
his patients.
His objective is for children to start their treatment
within 10 days of referral. At present, it can take up to four months.
The Children’s Home contracts with four psychiatrists to
care for children. Together, the four provide about 40 hours of service a week.
Dr. Lichtenstein estimates that those 40 hours meet only 25 percent of the
psychiatric needs of the children served by The Children’s Home.
“Our goal is to get children stabilized sooner by having
doctors evaluate them sooner and more frequently,” Dr. Lichtenstein said. “Once
their treatment becomes as effective as possible, children will have better
success in school and a better transition into adulthood.
“Success could mean higher school retention and graduation
rates, higher academic achievement scores and fewer referrals to the juvenile
justice system,” he said.
Dr. Lichtenstein will fill the job in early July, leaving a
private practice in Northern Kentucky, where
he has served as a pediatrician for nearly 30 years. During that time, the
scope of his work widened to include children with behavioral health problems
from low-income families.
In his new job, he will treat children on The Children’s Home’s
Madisonville campus and in some of the 60 schools where The Children's Home has
counselors. In addition, he will be responsible for developing widespread
solutions to problems in treating children’s mental health issues.
Dr. Lichtenstein’s approach at The Children’s Home will be a
continuation of work he’s doing at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center. There, he has
been a key figure in developing training programs for primary care physicians,
to help them treat the most common childhood mental health issue, Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD.
That approach frees psychiatrists to handle the most extreme
cases. He has overseen such training for 300 physicians in Greater Cincinnati.
Now, he’s involved in similar programs for Lexington, Louisville and Columbus.
Dr.
Lichtenstein also has been instrumental in identifying, preventing and
responding to child sexual abuse in Northern Kentucky.
He has served as the medical director and forensic evaluator at the Community
Pediatric Clinic for Child Sexual Abuse Evaluation at the Northern Kentucky
Children’s Advocacy Center.
“Because of his relationships with doctors and other health
care professionals, Dr. Lichtenstein will help build partnerships for The
Children’s Home in the medical community, providing important services for
children,” said Ellen M. Katz,
President and CEO of The Children’s
Home.
Dr. Lichtenstein’s five years of service on the Board of
Trustees of The Children’s Home led to his new role. He and The Children’s Home
realized he could have a greater impact by being on the staff. He will be
giving up his board membership.
“Dr. Lichtenstein has been a tremendous advocate for
children’s mental health and wellness,” said Marcy Robbe, Vice President of
Services for The Children’s Home. “He has a specific passion for working with
kids like ours – kids with difficult family situations, challenging diagnoses
and tough experiences.”
The mission of The Children’s Home of Cincinnati is to
transform the lives of vulnerable children through individualized treatment and
education services that build the skills and confidence to succeed in life. The
Children’s Home annually has an impact on 6,000 children and their families
through more than 20 campus and community-based education and treatment
programs. For more information, visit www.thechildrenshomecinti.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Elliot Grossman, egrossman@ashire.net;
513-240-9801