Lighting a BEACON for Illinois Youth
Earlier this year, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker joined the state’s Department of Human Services and Google Public Sector to announce the creation of BEACON (Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation), a service access portal for Illinois youth.
The system, which went live this summer, “makes it easier for families to see and access the things that their children are eligible for, things that are provided either by the state or by community-based providers,” Weiner says.
When families first seek help, “there are a lot of places they could turn that wouldn’t give them a comprehensive listing,” she says. “BEACON gives them that single place to go, and it can connect them with a human being.”
The system can steer families to needed resources, and it can get them in touch with resource coordinators and clinical specialists who concentrate on particular clinical profiles. Thanks to the Google Cloud infrastructure, families can easily upload psychological evaluations or birth certificates, “things they’re asked for many times as they document their eligibility,” Weiner says.