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Dr. Chris Okiishi doesn’t have to get in his vehicle to see up to 10 young patients across Iowa in a single morning.

From his office in Iowa City, the child psychiatrist communicates with patients using a webcam connected to 13 University of Iowa Child Health Specialty Clinics across the state through the Iowa Communications Network.

The program, which began in 2003, is designed to provide psychiatric services to children in underserved rural areas of the state, particularly those enrolled in Iowa’s Medicaid program. Since its inception, more than 1,500 children and their families have received comprehensive psychiatric services through the program.

Child psychiatry has one of the most extreme physician shortages of any medical field in Iowa. Okiishi estimates that he is one of only about 35 child psychiatrists practicing in the entire state. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, 81 are considered by the Iowa Department of Public Health to have inadequate mental health treatment services.

The goal of the program is not for these telepsychiatrists to become the primary mental health provider, but for them to assist community physicians in treatment by providing follow-up care and ongoing care coordination.

The telemedicine system is “a good substitute for being able to be there in person,” said Okiishi.”To be able to start at Sioux City at 9 a.m., and by 9:30 be at Fort Dodge, and at 10 be at Council Bluffs and then get back to Sioux City at 10:30, it really extends our ability to take individuals who are in different areas of the state,” he said.

A year ago, the program added a second physician, Dr. Kristen Broeker-Marsh, following her graduation from the U of I child psychiatry residency program. Both doctors provide the service on a part-time basis as one aspect of their practices.

The U of I Child Health Specialty Clinics that use the service include those in Burlington, Carroll, Council Bluffs, Creston, Davenport, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Spencer and Waterloo. Des Moines’ Child Health Specialty Clinic doesn’t offer the service.

“That’s because it’s in a resource-rich area,” said Joan Drischer, chief operating officer for Magellan Behavioral Care of Iowa Inc., which manages the state’s mental health and substance abuse programs.

Magellan funds the program as part of the Iowa Community Reinvestment Fund. Each year, Magellan invests 2.5 percent of the money it receives from the state into the fund for such recovery-oriented, community-based services.

“What we’re really hoping is that through the use of Community Reinvestment (money) we can get the technology into community mental health centers across the state,” Drischer said, “so that there is that capability to ensure that if people are in a crisis or they don’t have access to a psychiatrist, there is that opportunity.”

Okiishi said using the technology in rural areas could help attract more physicians to practice in Iowa by giving them the option to serve rural residents while being able to live in an urban area of the state.

“The one thing it won’t do is create services out of nowhere,” he said, “because the time I spend seeing individuals in other communities is time I’m not seeing people in my community.”

Families have been enthusiastic about the program, “in particular when it saves them a seven-hour drive to the university,” Okiishi said. “They’re thrilled with that. The fact that we’re able to work with them in their community with the people that are there in their community is very helpful.”

Joe Gardyasz can be reached at joegardyasz@bpcdm.com.