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AVON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Magellan Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGLN), a leading behavioral health care management organization and proponent of community-based treatment options for children, is joining with the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) to host a webinar on Dec. 7 to share best practices in behavioral health care for children and youth. The webinar is free of charge and open to youth, families, community-based and residential treatment providers as well as others who are interested in participating.

About the webinar

The webinar will feature a panel of leaders from the Building Bridges Initiative, who will share best practices and practical tips to better serve youth in residential treatment. Continuing education credit hours will be available to those who attend.

• Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2 - 4 p.m. Eastern time: The National Building Bridges Initiative: Best Practices in Operationalizing Family-driven Care and Youth-guided Care in Residential Programs

Additional details and registration information are available at http://www.magellanhealth.com/media/258598/2010-12%20building%20bridges%20webinar%20final.pdf.

An archived version of this webinar, as well as that of a second webinar held last week titled The National Building Bridges Initiative: Using the BBI Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) to Support Implementation of Best Practices, will soon be available online at www.MagellanHealth.com/training.

Magellan signed on as an active participant in the BBI earlier this year as part of its commitment to advancing health care outcomes for children, and is providing funding to support the efforts of BBI and increase access to training for its network of providers. BBI, a national program launched in 2006 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), focuses on facilitating strategic community partnerships and advancing best practices to ensure children with behavioral and/or emotional challenges receive the most appropriate balance of community-based and residential treatment.

"Through our experience with children's mental health services, Magellan recognizes that reducing the reliance on residential care and enhancing community-based treatment options yields positive treatment outcomes for children," said Pat Hunt, Magellan's director of child and family resiliency services. "We believe our participation in the Building Bridges Initiative, which represents a first-of-its-kind relationship between BBI and a managed care organization, will add value in helping to advance specific strategies to help children and families receive quality, effective care."

Magellan's relationship with BBI is a component of the company's commitment to improving the lives of children needing quality behavioral health care. Magellan has created and implemented new models of residential treatment and has expanded the array of home and community-based services. In addition, Magellan has strengthened communication and coordination among residential treatment and home/community-based providers, with a particular focus on youth who are ready to be discharged from residential treatment, their families and the community.

About Magellan: Headquartered in Avon, Conn., Magellan Health Services, Inc., is a leading specialty health care management organization with expertise in managing behavioral health, radiology and specialty pharmaceuticals, as well as public sector pharmacy benefits programs. Magellan delivers innovative solutions to improve quality outcomes and optimize the cost of care for those we serve. Magellan's customers include health plans, employers and government agencies, serving approximately 58 million people nationwide in our behavioral and radiology benefits lines, more than 40 payors in our specialty pharmaceutical benefits segment, and 25 states and the District of Columbia in our Medicaid Administration segment. For more information, visit www.MagellanHealth.com.

About The National Building Bridges Initiative (BBI): Building Bridges is a national initiative developed by SAMHSA that is working to identify and promote practice and policy that will create strong and closely coordinated partnerships and collaborations between families, youth, community- and residential- based treatment and service providers, advocates and policy makers to ensure that comprehensive mental health services and supports are available to improve the lives of young people and their families. BBI strives to advance partnerships among residential and community-based service providers, youth, and families to improve lives. Visit http://buildingbridges4youth.org/ for more information.

Magellan Health Services, Inc.
Christine Barnhart, 410-953-2421
CPBarnhart@MagellanHealth.com

Source: Magellan Health Services, Inc.

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