Child psychiatrist joins ACES team
Dr. Cory Alexander helps children with the most difficult behaviors.
The board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist serves children with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and children on the autism spectrum. And a great many of the children she helps are on Medicaid.
"I serve the kids that are the most needy and the sickest," said Alexander, an M.D.
Now she serves children in Coeur d'Alene. Alexander recently joined ACES Community Health Services to provide psychiatric oversight for counseling and psychosocial rehabilitation, and to work closely with ACES nurse practitioner Tanya Heidenreich. Her work brings her into town toward the end of every month.
Alexander is one of very few child psychiatrists working in North Idaho, making her much needed and a great asset, said ACES administrative director Amika DuPree.
"We're really excited to have her working with us," DuPree said.
Alexander emphasized collaboration as the "cornerstone" of helping children get well. Her "soapbox," she said, is getting everyone together - from the schools to parents to mental health professionals - so that everyone is on the same page.
"That's very hard to do," she said.
All of the information from each source has to be gotten together and everyone has cooperate to do the same things.
"If you do that, it's amazing," Alexander said. Usually, you see improvement in three to four months, she added.
It is also important to her that the parents and children to be actively involved as patients, instead of passively receiving treatment. When they understand what is wrong, the outcomes are better. And when they get treatment, outcomes are better as well, she said.
In addition to her philosophy of collaboration, Alexander brings far-reaching experience with her to ACES.
She finished her fellowship in child psychiatry in 1992, and has been in private practice in Twin Falls, Idaho, since 1995.
Her qualifications include extensive education, including four years undergrad work, four years of medical school, four years of adult psychiatry education and two years child psychiatry. She has been in practice long enough to be comfortable working with children of all ages, including toddlers.
For more information about ACES Community Health Services, visit www.aces-id.com.