The Children’s Fund of Connecticut (CFC) awarded a $57,500 grant to the UConn School of Social Work to evaluate the impact of the Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Services (EMPS) program on emergency department utilization (ED) among youth with behavioral health concerns. The research team, led by Michael Fendrich, PhD (Associate Dean for Research), will use administrative data from EMPS and Medicaid claims to compare EMPS clients to a matched comparison group on ED utilization. Brenda Kurz, PhD is the co-investigator. They will also conduct focus groups with EMPS providers to supplement the quantitative findings and to further inform system and practice changes.The project will identify risk factors influencing subsequent ED use among those who receive EMPS services. http://www.chdi.org/files/3414/7516/0492/EMPS_grant_News_Release_9-29-16.pdf