Press Release – June 16, 2016
Delaware Senate Majority Caucus
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jesse Chadderdon (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945;
Mat Marshall (302) 744-4180 or (302) 577-8897
Delaware Senate Majority Caucus
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jesse Chadderdon (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945;
Mat Marshall (302) 744-4180 or (302) 577-8897
Task Force to address statewide behavioral and mental health gaps continues efforts with legislation
The Senate Behavioral & Mental Health Task Force, co-chaired by Senate President Pro Tem Patricia Blevins and Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, unveiled details of its final report and resulting legislation at a press conference Thursday.
Blevins, an Elsmere Democrat, said the Task Force’s work will change the lives of Delawareans battling mental illness, behavioral health issues or addiction.
“We all have a friend or loved one who has been touched by mental or behavioral health issues,” Blevins said. “We know the pain of a parent watching addiction seize their child; of a mother suffering from depression in silence; of a friend taking their own life because nobody heard their cries for help. Make no mistake: this is a health crisis, and it cuts through every demographic, every ZIP code, and, tragically, every age group. Far too many victims of suicide, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders are children and teens.”
A lifelong advocate for children and families, Blevins said getting young people the help they need, when they need it, is a critical part of the Task Force’s recommendations.
“Nobody deserves that kind of burden so early in their life,” Blevins said. “No parent deserves to watch their kids suffer. Some have cycled in and out of the juvenile justice system. Others have conditions that went unnoticed or untreated. Each of them represents a failure of the system, and should remind us that our work is still not done. That’s why we convened this Task Force: to ensure that every kid in Delaware – regardless of the fortune of their birth or trials of their youth – has a fair shot at a long, happy, healthy life.”
Last spring, members of the General Assembly received an overwhelming number of calls and emails from constituents expressing their feelings of abandonment and fear from either losing behavioral health care or from their inability to find proper care. That concern prompted the Senate Health & Social Services Committee to hold a series of public hearings where Delawareans shared their stories of isolation, desertion and their desperate need for new resources, with many behavioral health professionals echoing the public sentiment. Out of those hearings, the Behavioral & Mental Health Task Force was born.
Hall-Long, a Middletown Democrat who chairs the Senate Health & Social Services Committee, said the work of the Task Force has led to specific recommendations that will link Delawareans in the school system, the hospital system, or even the prison system, to more of the services they need.
“As a nurse and a public servant, I can’t accept that anyone in our state—let alone the most vulnerable among us—slips through the cracks in our health care system,” Hall-Long said. “We convened this Task Force because it is clear that we cannot afford to stand by any longer, and we’re already putting its lessons to work.”
This month, the Task Force introduced its final report analyzing the statewide system, covering topics like: suicide, stigma, co-occurring disorders, corrections, and recruitment and retention of behavioral health professionals. Sen. Hall-Long has recently passed legislation, in congruence with the Task Force’s efforts, addressing mental health treatment and maternal depression.
“We’ve taken bipartisan steps to bring a 90-bed inpatient psychiatric facility to Sussex County and we’re treating substance abuse like the epidemic that it is—one that takes a life every two days,” Hall-Long said. “We’ve made maternal depression a priority, based not only on this Task Force’s findings but also on the tireless work of Rep. Longhurst on this and other women’s issues. And we’ll continue to fight for the meaningful, holistic reforms outlined in the final report, including doing more to connect Delawareans to community and ecumenical resources already available in their communities.”
In order to continue the work of the Task Force, SB 245, introduced Thursday, calls for the creation of a Behavioral & Mental Health Commission. The Commission will be charged with an oversight and monitoring the state’s behavioral health system, while also working to implement additional Task Force recommendations, and submit annual recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.
“This report represents a to-do list for Delaware, and at the top of that list is the creation of a permanent Behavioral & Mental Health Commission to pick up where the task force left off,” said Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Bellefonte, a Task Force member and chair of the House Health & Human Development Committee. “One of the big tasks for this commission will be to help close the gaps we know exist in our behavioral and mental health workforce, which has seriously impacted access to care for patients and families across the state.”
The Task Force also focused on making improvements to behavioral health care within the prison system.
Marc Richman, Ph.D., Chief of the Bureau of Correctional Healthcare Services for the Delaware Department of Correction knows firsthand the impact that treatment can have on Delaware’s offenders and the impact treatment has on reducing recidivism.
“Commissioner Coupe, Deputy Commissioner Phelps and I are thankful to the leadership of Sens. Blevins and Hall-Long and the Task Force for their collective commitment in addressing the behavioral health gaps in our state,” Richman said. “As all have recognized, the Department of Correction and prisons have often become the default ‘treatment facilities’ for individuals with untreated behavioral health challenges and disorders. This is not healthy for those affected by mental illness and addiction, or for our community at large. We look forward to the next steps and addressing these pressing issues not only in Delaware, but across the country.”
Also coming out of the Task Force are recommendations to address suicide in Delaware. SB 281, which will be formally introduced by Blevins next week, would codify and make permanent the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition.
“The Task Force’s efforts to identify the gaps and needs of Delaware behavioral health services is an important step forward in helping to reduce the state’s suicide rates,” said Jim Lafferty, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Delaware and Task Force member.
Since 2004, stakeholders have worked within the confines of the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition to raise awareness regarding suicide in Delaware and provide education about warning signs.
“Identifying the gaps along with increasing education and referrals of people to these services will help those with suicidal ideation and attempts,” said Lafferty. “The Mental Health Association also appreciates the legislation to formally establish the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition. The coalition is made up of a number of behavioral health professionals who are dedicated to reducing suicide in Delaware, and continuing their efforts in the future will result in a long lasting, positive impact.”
Throughout a seven-month period, the Behavioral & Mental Health Task Force finalized an extensive list of recommendations, including but not limited to:
Blevins, an Elsmere Democrat, said the Task Force’s work will change the lives of Delawareans battling mental illness, behavioral health issues or addiction.
“We all have a friend or loved one who has been touched by mental or behavioral health issues,” Blevins said. “We know the pain of a parent watching addiction seize their child; of a mother suffering from depression in silence; of a friend taking their own life because nobody heard their cries for help. Make no mistake: this is a health crisis, and it cuts through every demographic, every ZIP code, and, tragically, every age group. Far too many victims of suicide, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders are children and teens.”
A lifelong advocate for children and families, Blevins said getting young people the help they need, when they need it, is a critical part of the Task Force’s recommendations.
“Nobody deserves that kind of burden so early in their life,” Blevins said. “No parent deserves to watch their kids suffer. Some have cycled in and out of the juvenile justice system. Others have conditions that went unnoticed or untreated. Each of them represents a failure of the system, and should remind us that our work is still not done. That’s why we convened this Task Force: to ensure that every kid in Delaware – regardless of the fortune of their birth or trials of their youth – has a fair shot at a long, happy, healthy life.”
Last spring, members of the General Assembly received an overwhelming number of calls and emails from constituents expressing their feelings of abandonment and fear from either losing behavioral health care or from their inability to find proper care. That concern prompted the Senate Health & Social Services Committee to hold a series of public hearings where Delawareans shared their stories of isolation, desertion and their desperate need for new resources, with many behavioral health professionals echoing the public sentiment. Out of those hearings, the Behavioral & Mental Health Task Force was born.
Hall-Long, a Middletown Democrat who chairs the Senate Health & Social Services Committee, said the work of the Task Force has led to specific recommendations that will link Delawareans in the school system, the hospital system, or even the prison system, to more of the services they need.
“As a nurse and a public servant, I can’t accept that anyone in our state—let alone the most vulnerable among us—slips through the cracks in our health care system,” Hall-Long said. “We convened this Task Force because it is clear that we cannot afford to stand by any longer, and we’re already putting its lessons to work.”
This month, the Task Force introduced its final report analyzing the statewide system, covering topics like: suicide, stigma, co-occurring disorders, corrections, and recruitment and retention of behavioral health professionals. Sen. Hall-Long has recently passed legislation, in congruence with the Task Force’s efforts, addressing mental health treatment and maternal depression.
“We’ve taken bipartisan steps to bring a 90-bed inpatient psychiatric facility to Sussex County and we’re treating substance abuse like the epidemic that it is—one that takes a life every two days,” Hall-Long said. “We’ve made maternal depression a priority, based not only on this Task Force’s findings but also on the tireless work of Rep. Longhurst on this and other women’s issues. And we’ll continue to fight for the meaningful, holistic reforms outlined in the final report, including doing more to connect Delawareans to community and ecumenical resources already available in their communities.”
In order to continue the work of the Task Force, SB 245, introduced Thursday, calls for the creation of a Behavioral & Mental Health Commission. The Commission will be charged with an oversight and monitoring the state’s behavioral health system, while also working to implement additional Task Force recommendations, and submit annual recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.
“This report represents a to-do list for Delaware, and at the top of that list is the creation of a permanent Behavioral & Mental Health Commission to pick up where the task force left off,” said Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Bellefonte, a Task Force member and chair of the House Health & Human Development Committee. “One of the big tasks for this commission will be to help close the gaps we know exist in our behavioral and mental health workforce, which has seriously impacted access to care for patients and families across the state.”
The Task Force also focused on making improvements to behavioral health care within the prison system.
Marc Richman, Ph.D., Chief of the Bureau of Correctional Healthcare Services for the Delaware Department of Correction knows firsthand the impact that treatment can have on Delaware’s offenders and the impact treatment has on reducing recidivism.
“Commissioner Coupe, Deputy Commissioner Phelps and I are thankful to the leadership of Sens. Blevins and Hall-Long and the Task Force for their collective commitment in addressing the behavioral health gaps in our state,” Richman said. “As all have recognized, the Department of Correction and prisons have often become the default ‘treatment facilities’ for individuals with untreated behavioral health challenges and disorders. This is not healthy for those affected by mental illness and addiction, or for our community at large. We look forward to the next steps and addressing these pressing issues not only in Delaware, but across the country.”
Also coming out of the Task Force are recommendations to address suicide in Delaware. SB 281, which will be formally introduced by Blevins next week, would codify and make permanent the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition.
“The Task Force’s efforts to identify the gaps and needs of Delaware behavioral health services is an important step forward in helping to reduce the state’s suicide rates,” said Jim Lafferty, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Delaware and Task Force member.
Since 2004, stakeholders have worked within the confines of the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition to raise awareness regarding suicide in Delaware and provide education about warning signs.
“Identifying the gaps along with increasing education and referrals of people to these services will help those with suicidal ideation and attempts,” said Lafferty. “The Mental Health Association also appreciates the legislation to formally establish the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition. The coalition is made up of a number of behavioral health professionals who are dedicated to reducing suicide in Delaware, and continuing their efforts in the future will result in a long lasting, positive impact.”
Throughout a seven-month period, the Behavioral & Mental Health Task Force finalized an extensive list of recommendations, including but not limited to:
- Changing Delaware from a Medicaid termination state to a suspension state for adults and children leaving the prison system.
- Instituting Emergency Department and hospital follow up after discharge of individuals who were treated for suicide attempts.
- Reviewing behavioral health efforts currently provided in the school setting to determine feasibility of expansion.
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Press Contacts
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov