Frequently Asked Questions
What is Illinois DocAssist?
Illinois DocAssist is a program designed to provide primary care providers (PCP’s), nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and other clinicians enrolled with Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) with the tools they need to diagnose and treat children and youth (up to age 21) with psychiatric and substance use symptoms and disorders.
What services are available?
The services include:
- Problem-based consultations to guide the mental health and substance use assessment of children and youth and provide evidence-based treatment options, including medication management strategies.
- Education and technical assistance via web-based and office-based training workshops, including access to and training on the use of screening tools and diagnostic aids; stepped-care algorithms to guide clinical decisions, including when to treat and when to refer; and training to clinicians and clinic staff on ways to improve the integration of mental health and substance use assessment and treatment into the clinic routine.
- Referral services to identify local community referral options for children and youth that cannot be managed in a primary care setting.
Can I refer my patients directly to DocAssist?
No. Illinois DocAssist is a problem-based consultation and training service for primary care providers. Illinois DocAssist does not consult on or interact directly with individual patients or their families.
Who can use the services?
The services of Illinois DocAssist are available to Illinois Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) enrolled primary care physicians (PCPs), nurses, nurse practitioners, school nurses and other health professionals that work with youth and thus directly or indirectly support the work of PCPs that care for children and adolescents up to the age of 21 years old.
Is there a fee?
Thanks to our partners at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health (DMH), DocAssist services are provided free of charge.
Can I get help with referrals?
Yes. Assistance with referrals is available upon request.
What is the response time for DocAssist consultations?
The Illinois DocAssist number is a toll-free number operating during normal business hours (i.e., Monday-Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM CST) and is a ‘warmline.’ Inquiries are answered or responded to promptly within one business day.
Who will provide the consultation services and training?
Illinois DocAssist is staffed by a team of professionals with extensive experience in the care and treatment of children and youth with psychiatric and substance use disorders.
Dr. Michael Naylor and Dr. Toya Clay are child and adolescent psychiatrists, co-directors of the program, and program consultants. Ms. Kamaria Bond is the team’s psychiatric social worker and the third consultant. All three have experience working with children and youth, families, schools, and complex systems-of-care.
Dr. Naylor directs the award-winning Behavioral Health and Welfare Program (BHWP). The programs are funded by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) and include an array of projects from specialized inpatient psychiatric care to monitoring the prescription of psychiatric medications for all wards of Illinois.
Dr. Clay has completed an American Psychiatric Association Congressional Fellowship on Capitol Hill working on mental health reform and is a strong advocate of expanding and improving mental health for underprivileged children and families.
Ms. Bond has worked in multiple capacities for DCFS—as a caseworker and as an administrator---handling matters such as interstate adoptions and has expertise in substance abuse and direct services for families involved with DCFS. Other psychiatrists and clinicians will be accessed as necessary.