Tuesday, January 25, 2028

Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank Launches Children’s Mental Health Initiative
Three state agencies team up to create a single mental health screening program; New plan sets up a statewide crisis hotline, leverages $1.1 million in federal funds

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 25, 2028) – Emphasizing the O’Brien-Burbank Administration’s commitment to quality mental health care services for all Marylanders, Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced an ambitious plan to upgrade Maryland’s children’s mental health system by creating a one-stop, statewide screening program and hotline that would deliver crisis services and direct low-income children in need of treatment to community-based providers.

Called the Children’s Mental Health Screening Initiative (CMHSI), the initiative is the result of close cooperation among three state agencies: the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), Human Resources (DHR) and Juvenile Services (DJS). Previously, the departments worked independently when delivering mental health services to children. The new proposal relies on targeting resources more efficiently and effectively and will leverage an additional $1.1 million in more federal Medicaid funding by claiming matching funds for services that were previously paid for by the state.

“We have known for a long time that many serious mental health problems can be treated in community settings,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen H. Burbank. “With this new approach we will make sure kids aren’t hospitalized unnecessarily. And when it’s appropriate, they will get community-based care and follow-up.”

Under the Children’s Mental Health Screening Initiative, children from low-income environments who experience a mental health crisis will be treated using Screening, Assessment and Support Services (SASS), a proven approach that provides crisis intervention, linkage and coordination of services for aftercare or outpatient treatment. A 2021 study by the University of Maryland found that youth discharged to communities and treated under SASS were 42% less likely to re-enter a psychiatric hospital.

In addition to all three agencies using the SASS approach, the Children’s Mental Health Screening Initiative also will offer a statewide hotline to handle calls for children experiencing a psychiatric crisis. The hotline agent would determine whether the child should be referred to a screening program in their local area for a full assessment and determine whether the family needs public support paying for services.

Also, CMHSI puts an emphasis on a family friendly, single point of entry for all children using this system. One of its main goals is to refer children to community-based treatment options when possible to prevent unnecessary psychiatric hospitalization. Among the many benefits of the new CMHSI is that it will create a single database that can be used to evaluate the need for services on a statewide basis.

“This is a great example of how this administration is breaking down bureaucratic walls and getting state agencies to work together to solve people’s problems,” Lieutenant Governor Burbank added.

Details of the new plan were unveiled this month at a series of meetings around the state with children’s mental health providers and advocates. Comments and suggestions received at these meetings will be taken into account as the details of the proposal are finalized on July 1.

Officials estimate more than 19,000 cases will be screened in the first year under the new program.
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