NE DCS Guidelines for COE Referrals
The ETSU Center of Excellence (COE) for Children in State Custody is located in the ETSU Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at 2 Professional Park, Suite 21, Johnson City TN 37604.
Director: Michele R. Moser, Ph.D. moser@etsu.edu or michele.moser@tn.gov
Psychologist: Julia Thompson, Ph.D. thompsonje1@etsu.edu
Program Management Coordinator: Erin Britton brittonea@etsu.edu
Mental Health Specialist: Jennie Hodge, MSW hodgejm@etsu.edu
Office Coordinator: Karen Lackey lackeykm@etsu.edu
The COE provides consultation for children in custody and at risk of custody with complex medical, behavioral, psychological, and psychiatric problems. Services include case triage, case review, comprehensive consultation conferences, psychiatric evaluations, targeted psychological testing, limited medication management, behavioral health and medical record review, and medication gap filling. The following guidelines are summarized to facilitate referrals to the ETSU COE.
-
I. Triage Process:
1. Child with no previous COE contact:
a) Consult with the Northeast Region Child Health Unit (Upper) first to determine the appropriateness of the referral.- Regional Mental Health Clinician – Dr. Sharon Farge: sharon.farge@tn.gov
- Health Advocate Representative: Deanna Humphrey: deanna.humphrey@tn.gov
- Regional Nurse: (TBD)
b) If the Health Unit professional is not available and you are in a meeting considering a COE referral, you can contact the COE directly at (423) 379-8085 to begin the triage process.
c) If the DCS Team deems the referral appropriate, a member of the team should refer directly to the COE (see below) AND notify the Regional Mental Health Clinician that the referral is being made. Examples of potential referring teams are: CFTMs, Best Practices Review team, UR, etc.
2. Child with previous COE services (consultation conference, psychiatric evaluation, or CFTM participation): Contact the COE directly AND notify the Regional Mental Health Clinician of the referral.
-
II. How to make a COE referral:
1. Call the COE directly. 2. OR email both Erin Britton brittonea@etsu.edu and Michele Moser michele.moser@tn.gov to schedule a time to discuss the referral.
3. Complete the COE referral form which can be found on our website https://www.etsu.edu/statecustody/forms_and_guidelines.php.
4. Simultaneously notify the Regional Mental Health Clinician for Northeast Region.
5. The COE will contact you to schedule a time to discuss the referral, clarify the type of service that is needed, request records, and provide consents for release of information.