The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Pediatric Residency Program was awarded $2.5 million to improve pediatric training that addresses mental health.

The grant is from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The funding aims to overcome the shortage of pediatric mental health experts in the state of Kansas in order to better serve the increased number of youth struggling with depression, anxiety and other mental illness. The money will also go toward additional training for primary care physicians and clinicians, who increasingly called to diagnose and treat these diseases.

Officials said that there has been a rising trend of substance use among youth to cope with mental illness, resulting in an increased number of drug-related pediatric deaths in 2020.

Addressing Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Illness (AYMHI) in primary care aspires to train pediatric primary care residents to screen, identify, diagnose, treat and prevent mental illness in youth and young adults.

Through its more rigorous training, AYMHI aims improve primary care education in trauma-informed care, substance use disorders and the effects of violence. Faculty and preceptors, as well as advanced practitioners, working alongside residents will also benefit from the program through educational opportunities and resources.