FIRSTS IN PATIENT CARE
Because pediatric behavioral health needs exist across a spectrum, Riley Children’s provides multiple points of access and support, including: ■ Integrated behavioral health – Behavioral health support is embedded within Indiana University Health and Riley Children’s primary care practices that serve more than 90,000 children statewide. These integrated services help identify needs earlier and connect families to support where they already receive care. ■ Evidence-based practice – Programs such as the Behavioral Health Access Center, Be Happy Child Psychiatry Access Program , Charis Center for Eating Disorders , and other specialty services help strengthen Riley’s ability to support patients. ■ Learning health networks – Through networks that enable clinical sites to share real-time data, Riley Children’s is helping contribute to a national effort to better understand what works in pediatric behavioral health and how those best practices can spread more quickly.
ADVOCATES Pediatric Medical-Behavioral Health Unit – Addressing a critical gap in care For children and adolescents whose emotional, behavioral and medical conditions intersect, in 2026 Riley Children’s opened a Pediatric Medical-Behavioral Health Unit —one of the first units of its kind in the nation and the first in Indiana. The unit expands access to specialized care for children and adolescents who need medical and behavioral health treatment at the same time in a safe, therapeutic environment. As the need for pediatric mental healthcare grows, Riley Children’s Health has intentionally expanded behavioral health services in priority areas where it can have meaningful impact, including primary care, specialty programs and care for children with complex medical and behavioral health needs. “Children with simultaneous complex medical and psychiatric needs are often left without a setting fully equipped to meet both needs. This program was thoughtfully designed to care for those children. By integrating behavioral health expertise into medical care, we can better support patients experiencing eating disorders, severe anxiety, depression, behavioral dysregulation and other conditions that require a specialized approach.”
Leslie A. Hulvershorn, MD Leader, child psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Riley Children’s Health Chair and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, IU School of Medicine > Connect with Dr. Hulvershorn on Doximity.
The Psychiatry and General Pediatrics & Pediatric Primary Care sections of this report include additional information about Riley Children’s services and programs that support children, adolescents and families with behavioral health needs.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AT RILEY CHILDREN’S
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