CANS Assessments for Aetna OhioRISE | CAMHP — Center for Advanced Mental Health Practice

Meet your assessor

Dr. Danielle Dronet, DSW, LISW-S provides CANS assessments at CAMHP. She is qualified to provide them: she passed the Ohio Comprehensive CANS certification on October 15, 2026, and her certification is current through October 15, 2027. She is registered in the Ohio CANS IT System, where Ohio CANS assessments are documented.

CANS assessments at CAMHP are provided via telehealth only. There is no in-person CANS appointment at this time — every assessment is held by secure video, so a family can take part from home.

To get scheduled, email danielle@camhp.us. Use the subject line “CANS Assessment Request.” In your email, please include your name, your relationship to the child, a phone number where you can be reached, the child’s age, and a note that the child is an Aetna OhioRISE member. Please do not email medical records, Social Security numbers, or other private documents until a secure way to send them has been arranged with you.

What is a CANS assessment?

CANS stands for Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths. It is the assessment tool Ohio uses for children and young people from birth through age 20. Rather than looking at a diagnosis alone, a CANS assessment builds a full picture of a child’s life — what the child needs help with, and what the child and family already do well.

A CANS assessment looks at areas such as:

How the child is doing day to day — at home, at school, and with friends
Emotional and behavioral needs, including the effects of difficult or traumatic experiences
Safety and risk concerns
Health, development, and daily living skills
The child’s strengths, talents, culture, and community connections
The caregiver’s needs and strengths — what the adults caring for the child need in order to support them

Because it covers needs and strengths, the CANS helps the care team build a plan around the whole child, not around a single problem.

What the assessment is used for

For Aetna OhioRISE members, a CANS assessment is an important step in the OhioRISE process. The information gathered is entered into the Ohio CANS IT System, and the results help OhioRISE and the child’s care team:

Decide what level of care and which services fit the child’s needs
Inform OhioRISE eligibility and care-planning decisions
Build and update the child’s care plan around identified needs and strengths
Track how a child is doing over time, through follow-up (re)assessments

An assessment is one part of the OhioRISE process. Eligibility, authorization, and coverage decisions are made by OhioRISE and Aetna, not by the assessor, and an assessment on its own does not guarantee any particular service.

Who this is for

Aetna OhioRISE families

Your child is an Aetna OhioRISE member, and a CANS assessment has been requested, recommended, or is due — a first assessment or a follow-up reassessment.

Care teams & agencies

You work with a child — through a school, agency, court, or care coordination — and the child needs a CANS assessment completed by a certified assessor.

Caregivers with questions

You are not sure whether your child needs a CANS assessment. Email danielle@camhp.us and ask — you will be pointed in the right direction.

What to expect at a telehealth CANS appointment

Email to schedule. Send your request to danielle@camhp.us. You will be contacted to set the appointment time and confirm the child’s Aetna OhioRISE membership.
Meet by secure video. The assessment is a structured conversation by video. The caregiver takes part, and the child or young person joins as appropriate for their age. You will talk through the areas listed above — daily life, school, behavior, health, strengths, and what support your family needs.
Results go into the Ohio CANS IT System. After the appointment, the assessment is documented in the state system so OhioRISE and the care team can use it for eligibility, decision support, and care planning.

Telehealth only: every CANS assessment at CAMHP is held by video. Please plan to be somewhere private, with a phone, tablet, or computer that has a camera and a steady internet connection. If technology is a barrier, say so in your scheduling email — it is better to raise it early than to miss the appointment.

Questions families ask

Is the CANS assessment done in person?

No. At CAMHP, CANS assessments are provided via telehealth only. Your appointment will be held by secure video.

Who will do my child’s assessment?

Dr. Danielle Dronet, DSW, LISW-S — a certified Ohio CANS assessor (Ohio Comprehensive CANS certification passed October 15, 2026; current through October 15, 2027).

How do I get scheduled?

Email danielle@camhp.us with the subject line “CANS Assessment Request.” Include your name, your relationship to the child, your phone number, the child’s age, and that the child is an Aetna OhioRISE member.

What does it cost?

CANS assessments for Aetna OhioRISE members are handled through OhioRISE and Aetna. Membership and any authorization requirements are confirmed before your appointment, so there are no surprises. An assessment does not guarantee eligibility for OhioRISE or for any particular service — those decisions are made by OhioRISE and Aetna.

What should we have ready for the appointment?

Be ready to talk about your child’s daily life, school, health, behavior, strengths, and the support your family has now. If another professional requested the assessment, it helps to say who sent you and why in your scheduling email.

Get scheduled

Email is the way to request a CANS assessment at CAMHP:

Email danielle@camhp.us to get scheduled

Prefer to talk first? Call CAMHP at 380-291-2120. CANS assessments themselves are provided via telehealth only.