Maryland Department of Health Announces Partnership to Develop Children’s Behavioral Health Roadmap

The Maryland Department of Health issued the following press release on Wednesday, July 3, 2024:

“The Maryland Department of Health today announced its partnership with the Maryland Coalition of Families and Manatt Health to develop recommendations and a public-facing roadmap that provides a vision for change for the state’s public behavioral health system. The partnership will establish next steps to improve the behavioral health of Maryland’s children, youth and families.

“We are making vital improvements, including investing in youth crisis services and launching new school-based initiatives in partnership with partner agencies,” said Maryland Secretary of Health Dr. Laura Herrera Scott. “We also know that significant gaps remain and that not all children and youth are getting the care they need.”

The Department, the Maryland Coalition of Families and Manatt Health, by December 2024, will:
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• Perform a current status assessment.
• Develop an internal report and an initial set of recommendations.
• Prepare a detailed roadmap with proposed policy changes and actions to improve behavioral health care for children and youth.

“This roadmap will address the full spectrum of care for our youth and their families, from prevention and early intervention to high-intensity services,” said Assistant Secretary for Behavioral Health Alyssa Lord. “Our partners will also outline the concrete implementation steps needed to bring high-level policy recommendations to life.”

The Maryland Coalition of Families is the state’s leading organization helping families and youth navigate the behavioral health system. It operates in all 24 jurisdictions and has worked with the department on coordinating family peer support services and more.

Manatt Health is a leading national policy and strategy firm that recently developed a national roadmap of strategies to address the behavioral health crisis among children and youth with complex conditions.

To learn more about the department’s behavioral health resources and services for children, visit health.maryland.gov/youthbehavioralhealth.