July 28, 2025
Media Contact:
Ebony Wilder, Deputy Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-8650
Maryland Department of Health releases roadmap to improve access, address children's behavioral health needs
“The roadmap is a vital next step in our response to the urgent needs of Maryland youth,” said Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health Alyssa Lord. “Developed with input from families through focus groups and public engagement, this roadmap serves as a practical, data-driven guide to creating a more accessible, equitable, and sustainable public behavioral health system for children, youth, and families in Maryland.”
This guide was developed in response to the urgent need for reform. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30% of Maryland middle and high school students report feeling sad or hopeless. The state loses more than 100 young people each year due to drug and alcohol overdoses, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among individuals aged 10 to 24.
Building on work already underway, this resource outlines the current state of the public behavioral health system. It identifies five key goals to more comprehensively support children, youth and their families confronting behavioral health challenges so they can persevere and thrive. It also details specific strategies the Department and its partners can implement to make progress toward achieving these goals. Each strategy includes timing, resources, complexity levels, and examples from other states.
The roadmap also has specific recommendations, including improving early intervention strategies by leveraging Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment that currently exist across the state, reducing emergency room and hospital visits by expanding mobile crisis and crisis stabilization services for children, building out child and youth-specific crisis services, addressing workforce shortages by maximizing integrated care model approaches, and disseminating best practices across diverse disciplines to improve and expand knowledge on child and adolescent behavioral health and provide support and guidance.
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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.
