The Maryland Department of Health issued the following news release on Wednesday, July 3, 2024:
“The Maryland Department of Health today announced a partnership with Maryland Family Coalition and Manatt Health to develop recommendations and a public roadmap that outline a vision for change for our state’s public behavioral health system. This partnership establishes next steps to improve behavioral health for Maryland’s children, youth and families.”
“We are making important improvements, including investing in crisis services for adolescents and partnering with sister agencies on new school-based initiatives,” said Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott, “but we also know that significant disparities remain and not all children and adolescents can access care when they need it.”
The Department of Health, Maryland Family Coalition and Manatt Health Department will implement the following between now and December 2024:
- Conduct an assessment of your current state.
- Prepare an internal report and an initial set of recommendations.
- Develop a detailed roadmap with proposed policy changes and action steps to improve behavioral health care for children and adolescents.
“This roadmap will span the full spectrum of care for youth and their families, from prevention and early intervention to intensive services,” said Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health Alyssa Lord. “Our partners will also outline the specific implementation steps needed to turn high-level policy recommendations into reality.”
Maryland Family Coalition is the state’s leading organization for helping families and youth navigate the behavioral health system. The organization is present in all 24 jurisdictions and works with the department to coordinate things like peer support services among families.
Manatt Health is the nation’s leading policy and strategy firm, which recently completed a national roadmap on strategies to address the behavioral health crisis for children and adolescents with complex conditions.
For more information about the Department of Health’s behavioral health resources and services for children, visit health.maryland.gov/youthbehavioralhealth .”