Provider Assistance and Training Hub (PATH), Illinois’ premier center for cutting-edge behavioral health training and technical assistance, is sharing an update on its 2024 accomplishments and ongoing initiatives. PATH’s mission is to train and support community providers with implementing new tools, like the IM+CANS, and other news services, including the Pathways to Success initiative, as part of the overall Illinois behavioral health transformation. PATH is a partnership between the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work, and the Office of Medicaid Innovation.

PATH has begun the Wraparound and Care Coordination fidelity monitoring to support providers through coaching, and training is currently ongoing. The partnership with the University of Washington Wraparound Evaluation and Research Team (WERT), Office of Medicaid Innovation (OMI) and Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has been in place and production of fidelity data has been used to inform PATH coaching teams to best help providers in their Pathways to Success implementation. The PATH SOC and Clinical Quality Review teams have been the stewards of this work.

The SOC team has been piloting regional Learning Collaboratives for Care Coordination and Support Organizations. This effort brings similar providers together to share strategies and successes of their implementation of High-Fidelity Wraparound and Intensive Care Coordination.

PATH has been selected to present at the National Wraparound Institutes in Washington DC in July 2025. Their presentations will include sharing of best practices and coaching/fidelity monitoring efforts in the Illinois Pathways to Success Initiative.

New providers of Intensive Home-Based Services, Family Peer Support and Therapeutic Mentoring have been supported through training and coaching. The newly established Behavioral Health Clinics have received funds to provide these critical services in Illinois. The PATH IHB/TM/Family Advocacy teams have been proactive in engaging and supporting these new providers of Pathways to Success Services.

The IM+CANS Coaching Team is preparing to launch statewide virtual and in-person Learning Collaboratives in summer of 2025. The IM+CANS Coaching team will bring providers and users of the IM+CANS together to share best practices, solutions and strategies to challenges in implementing the IM+CANS as the Medicaid approved Integrated Assessment and Treatment Planning Tool (IATP).

Through partnership with OMI, HFS and PracticeWise, the PATH IHB Team has been working to expand access and trainings on use of the Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) tools. The MAP system allows for providers to have access to research and practice guides that extract proven and effective clinical approaches to address a variety of clinical targets. Use of MAP helps ensure that youth and adolescence are receiving intentional, therapeutic interventions that meet their clinical need and that are supported by research.