Massachusetts — like many states — has a shortage of child psychiatrists, but no shortage of children with mental health challenges. And most primary care doctors are not trained to handle these kinds of complex problems on their own. The “Massachusetts Child Psychiatrist Access Project” was created as a response to this dilemma. It’s a telephone networking tool developed by Dr. Barry Sarvet — head of child psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The project was featured this month in the journal “Pediatrics.”

Sarvet told WFCR’s Karen Brown that pediatricians are often the first to learn about a child’s mental health problems.