Minnesota’s ABCD III Project: Communities Coordinating for Healthy Development
ABCD III tools and resources
ABCD III upcoming events
Tools and resources from other organizations
Related websites
Minnesota is one of five states chosen by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) to participate in the Assuring
Better Child Health and Development Consortium (ABCD III Consortium). The focus of Minnesota’s ABCD III project is to improve
care coordination and community linkages for children and their families. This initiative will assure that children birth to age 5,
identified through standardized developmental and mental health screening performed in the primary care setting as at-risk for
delays, receive appropriate services in a timely manner. The initiative will also develop a strategy to support additional
communities statewide in implementing care coordination and effective referral systems based on the success of the project’s four
pilot sites. The pilot sites are located in Ramsey, Anoka, St. Louis and Olmsted counties.
Activities in the four pilot sites are funded with a grant from The Commonwealth Fund, and run from November 2009 to October
2012. Activities in the four communities strive to create efficient linkages between pediatric primary health care providers and
other child and family service providers in the community. Participating clinics are incorporating care coordination into their clinics
and building referral systems and feedback methods with community partners, such as Early Intervention, Head Start, mental
health professionals and the Follow Along Program.
Overall project direction is provided by NASHP, with local direction coming from the Minnesota Child Health Improvement
Partnership (MNCHIP), the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the
Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the pilot sites and community partners. Technical assistance is provided to
participating communities through on-site education and learning collaborative sessions using the Institute for Healthcare
Improvement’s Breakthrough Series ‘Model for Improvement,’ as well as webinars and other assistance as needed. The project is
being evaluated by Wilder Research.
Through an earlier Commonwealth Fund grant, the Minnesota ABCD II (Great Start Minnesota Project) introduced the use of
standard screening tools during Child and Teen Checkups at two large pediatric clinic pilot sites, Head Start and Early Head Start
programs. The pilot sites have incorporated the pilot experience into their general practice, including the co-location of mental
health professionals at their clinics. This model has also spread among other pediatric clinics throughout the state and has
provided a firm base for the ABCD III project.
ABCD III tools and resources
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Interagency Consent Form (DOC)
Interagency Referral Communication Form (DOC)
Monthly team report form (DOC)
Visit Coordination Form (DOC)
Minnesota's ABCD III Project Objectives (PDF)
ABCD III Press Release by NASHP, October 2009
Early Childhood Mental Health Screening presentation by DHS (PDF)
Minnesota’s ABCD III Initiative: Communities Coordinating for Healthy Development, Measurement and Evaluation
Activities presentation (PDF)
Minnesota Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) fact sheet for primary care providers (PDF)
ABCD III upcoming events
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Technical Assistance Events, March - September 2011 (PDF)
Tools and resources from other organizations
Forms and worksheets
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AIM Statement Worksheet, American Academy of Pediatrics
Project Planning Form, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
PDSA Worksheet for Testing Change, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Guidelines for Appraisal and Publication of PDSA Quality Improvement, National Center for Biotechnology Information
Screening Implementation Worksheet (Word), the Commonwealth Fund
Steps to using Screening and Surveillance in your Office, The Commonwealth Fund
Research and journal articles
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Pediatric Care Coordination Framework, The Commonwealth Fund
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Tips for Change Management, TransforMED (a subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians)
Implementing Developmental Screening and Referrals: Lessons Learned From a National Project, Pediatrics: Official
Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Benefits of Care Coordination for Children with Complex Disease: A Pilot Medical Home Project in a Resident Teaching
Clinic, The Journal of Pediatrics; Elsevier
Coordination of Care by Primary Care Practices: Strategies, Lessons and Implications, Center for Studying Health System
Change
Improvement Partnerships: Building Collaborations to Improve Child Health Care, The University of Vermont College of
Medicine
Related websites
Help Me Grow
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Refer a child to Help Me Grow, Minnesota ParentsKnow
Minnesota ParentsKnow website
Description of Help Me Grow, MDH
Importance of early childhood screening
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Overview of Young Child Screening, MDH
All Instruments at a glance, MDH
Screening Task Force, MDH
Screening Training Resources, MDH
Other Screening Initiatives, DHS
Primary Care Clinics and Children's Mental Health, DHS
Screening instruments
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Ages and Stages: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE), Brookes
Ages and Stages: Third Edition (ASQ: III), Brookes
Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), Pearson
Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), Massachusetts General Hospital
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), youth in mind
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Pearson
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Childbirth Solutions, Inc.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), The Macarthur Initiative
Child Development Review (CDR-PQ), Behavior Science Systems, Inc.
Infant Development Inventory (IDI), Behavior Science Systems, Inc.
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), PEDSTest.com, LLC
Health care homes (aka medical homes)
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National Center for Medical Home Implementation
Minnesota's Health Care Homes Initiative, MDH
Description of Medical Home, MDH
Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) Health Care Homes initiative, DHS
MHCP Health Care Home payment policies (MHCP Provider Manual), DHS
Legislative Language for Health Care Homes, MDH
Children’s health topics
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Children’s Mental Health, American Academy of Pediatrics
Developmental stages: Prenatal – Infancy, American Academy of Pediatrics
Developmental Stages: Early Childhood (1-4 years), American Academy of Pediatrics
Developmental Stages: Middle Childhood (5-10 years), American Academy of Pediatrics
Organization partners
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ABCD III – Year 1, The Commonwealth Fund
ABCD III Project, National Academy for State Health Policy