Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare and the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center have collaborated to provide Indiana’s first integrated outpatient Neurodevelopmental Center (NDC) for youth with co-occurring psychiatric conditions and intellectual/developmental disabilities.
 

Located in downtown Evansville, Indiana, NDC opened in January of 2023.  Within the first few months, over 40 referrals were received, showing how important this program is for our community.  

 

How does the program work? Youth dually diagnosed with a mental health disorder along with autism, intellectual or other developmental disability are assessed by a multidisciplinary cohesive treatment team, which includes psychology, psychiatry, occupational and physical therapies, speech pathology, audiology, and nutrition. NDC utilizes a care coordination approach to address youth and family needs that are more complex, connecting families to resources and providing ongoing services and support.
 

A Project Advisory Council, whose members represent community organizations and consumers, has been appointed through the partnership to provide feedback related to treatment experiences, workflows, and external communications to assure the program is meeting community needs. This pilot program is funded by the DMHA Community Catalyst Grant.