Note: This is the first in a series of posts on legislation that was passed during the 2018 Maryland legislative session and how it will affect mental health care in the state as well as various issues related to mental health.
MHAMD established a new Children’s Behavioral Health Coalition in late 2017 – a short time before the Maryland General Assembly convened for the 2018 legislative session. Immediately, members began expressing concern about a lack of transparency and access with respect to data that can help to improve the delivery of services for children and youth with behavioral health needs.
The Coalition moved quickly in its first year of existence to introduce successful legislation that will begin to address these data concerns. SB 977 | HB 1517 requires the Behavioral Health Administration and the Social Services Administration to prepare annual data reports related to the availability of behavioral health services for children and youth. Governor Larry Hogan signed SB 977 | HB 1517 into law on May 15.
Below is video from the signing ceremony.
Community mental health and substance use services are often inaccessible to children and families. Recent closures of several residential treatment centers (RTCs) have only exacerbated this lack of access. Families have increasingly turned to more restrictive emergency departments to connect their children to behavioral health care, and there has been a decrease in the number of approved voluntary placement agreements (VPAs) for families who cannot obtain coverage from their private insurer or pay the out-of-pocket costs for step-down care after a stay in an RTC.
The increased data collection that will result from the passage of these bills will help identify gaps in services, target resources, and design a system of care that meets the needs of children in every jurisdiction. Among the various reporting requirements, the agencies will publish data on the average length of time children are pending placement in emergency departments or waiting for placement in RTCs, hospital readmissions and discharges, and the number of approvals and denials of VPA requests. When advocates and community providers are equipped with the necessary data, they can build a strong behavioral health system of care for children, youth, and families.