• English
    X

    Google Translate Disclaimer

    The Maryland Department of Information Technology (“DoIT”) offers translations of the content through Google Translate. Because Google Translate is an external website, DoIT does not control the quality or accuracy of translated content. All DoIT content is filtered through Google Translate which may result in unexpected and unpredictable degradation of portions of text, images and the general appearance on translated pages. Google Translate may maintain unique privacy and use policies. These policies are not controlled by DoIT and are not associated with DoIT’s privacy and use policies. After selecting a translation option, users will be notified that they are leaving DoIT’s website. Users should consult the original English content on DoIT’s website if there are any questions about the translated content.

    DoIT uses Google Translate to provide language translations of its content. Google Translate is a free, automated service that relies on data and technology to provide its translations. The Google Translate feature is provided for informational purposes only. Translations cannot be guaranteed as exact or without the inclusion of incorrect or inappropriate language. Google Translate is a third-party service and site users will be leaving DoIT to utilize translated content. As such, DoIT does not guarantee and does not accept responsibility for, the accuracy, reliability, or performance of this service nor the limitations provided by this service, such as the inability to translate specific files like PDFs and graphics (e.g. .jpgs, .gifs, etc.).

    DoIT provides Google Translate as an online tool for its users, but DoIT does not directly endorse the website or imply that it is the only solution available to users. All site visitors may choose to use alternate tools for their translation needs. Any individuals or parties that use DoIT content in translated form, whether by Google Translate or by any other translation services, do so at their own risk. DoIT is not liable for any loss or damages arising out of, or issues related to, the use of or reliance on translated content. DoIT assumes no liability for any site visitor’s activities in connection with use of the Google Translate functionality or content.

    The Google Translate service is a means by which DoIT offers translations of content and is meant solely for the convenience of non-English speaking users of the website. The translated content is provided directly and dynamically by Google; DoIT has no direct control over the translated content as it appears using this tool. Therefore, in all contexts, the English content, as directly provided by DoIT is to be held authoritative.

    Maryland Department of Health
    Newsroom

    ​


    December 23, 2019

    Media Contact:

    Deidre McCabe, Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-3536

    Maureen Regan, Deputy Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-8649

     

    Maryland Department of Health announces new Deputy Secretary to lead Behavioral Health Administration

     

    Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced the selection of Dr. Aliya Jones as Deputy Secretary to head the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) beginning Jan. 2, 2020. 

     

    Jones will lead the Department of Health's team that assures clinical quality across state mental health and addiction programs, seven state psychiatric hospitals and problem gambling and suicide prevention programs. 

     

    “With her professional experience integrating mental health and addiction, Dr. Jones is the right person to lead BHA in the future,” said Health Secretary Robert R. Neall.  “It is imperative to have a leader with professional and clinical experience who understands today’s pressing issues from a medical perspective. Dr. Jones has worked across disciplines and has the local and regional expertise to enhance Maryland’s public behavioral health system.”

     

    Serving approximately 278,000 people and 3,500 providers throughout the state, BHA has oversight responsibility for publicly funded inpatient and community behavioral health services to help individuals with substance-related, mental health and co-occurring disorders. BHA develops integrated processes for planning, policy and services to ensure a coordinated quality system of care is available to individuals with behavioral health conditions.

     

    BHA programs and services promote recovery, resiliency, health and wellness for individuals who have or are at risk for emotional, substance-related, addictive or psychiatric disorders. BHA also is responsible for regulating and licensing all behavioral health programs in Maryland’s behavioral health system and has oversight responsibility to ensure provider compliance with the Code of Maryland Regulations and state policy. 

     

    “As a psychiatrist, it will be personally rewarding to make a difference in the public behavioral health care delivery system, an institution that has such great influence over the way behavioral health care services are delivered in this state,” said Jones. “I am thankful to Secretary Neall for his forward thinking and for calling for a physician to lead this administration.

     

    “The behavioral health ecosystem is growing and thriving, and yet as we move forward we cannot leave anyone behind,” she added. “It is important for me to be an ambassador to communities that stigmatize mental illness and medications used to treat substance use disorders. As an addiction specialist in the time of this opioid crisis, I look forward to helping ensure we are moving in the right direction in all of our communities to combat this epidemic.”

     

    With nearly two decades of experience in the medical field, Jones comes to MDH from Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore, where she served seven years as Chief of Psychiatry and Chair of Behavioral Health. She led 19 service programs, nine of which were created under her leadership, including the nation’s first court-involved diversion program. 

     

    Recognized statewide for her expertise and leadership, Jones has served on Baltimore’s Heroin and Prevention Task Force, the Maryland Hospital Association’s Behavioral Health Task Force, and Maryland’s Forensic Advisory Workgroup. She has an MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and a medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

     

    “We face a number of challenges in behavioral health, including the ongoing opioid crisis. Managing the vast array of clinical and therapeutic treatments services, public awareness and prevention programs and other related efforts is no easy feat,” said Neall. “To have found someone who understands Maryland’s unique challenges is invaluable.'  

     

    ###

     

    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.

     

    Follow us on Twitter @MDHealthDept and at Facebook.com/MDHealthDept.​