A new community plan for behavioral health
September is both National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and National Recovery Month. This is a critical month of national awareness to share information about the behavioral health services available, the progress made and the work still to be done to ensure all in Anne Arundel County have the resources and support they need to lead fulfilling lives.
Nationwide, nine of 10 adults surveyed in summer 2022 said they believed there was a mental health crisis in the U.S., with the opioid epidemic and teen mental health among top concerns. National, state and county data confirm these perceptions.
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting job loss, isolation and changes in healthcare access had devastating impacts on mental and physical well-being for many of us. Most communities are still recovering.
A new study from the Maryland Department of Health shows more than a third of middle and high school students are either sad, hopeless or lonely. Anne Arundel County’s rate of emergency department visits for suicide or self harm decreased in 2023 but is persistently above the statewide average.
County leaders from every segment of the behavioral health continuum meet weekly to analyze the data and proactively find ways to support our community members.
Specifically, the Anne Arundel County’s Local Behavioral Health Authority (LBHA) has worked to strengthen and expand its programs and enhance its provider network.
Over the past three years, the LBHA has obtained new funding for innovative programs like Mobile Crisis and Stabilization services for youth. It’s a program that meets young people in crisis where they are with trained mental health professionals and they have connections to services. The LBHA works with all county departments to assure services are coordinated, appropriate and accessible.
Similarly, AAC’s Crisis Response System (CRS) continues to stand out as one of the most innovative crisis systems throughout the state and country. The Crisis Response Warmline serves as a single point of contact for people in Anne Arundel County experiencing a behavioral health crisis or looking for various resources.
The warmline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. During FY22, the warmline received 41,234 incoming calls for assistance, an increase of 26% from FY21.
One of the most-effective components of
CRS is the follow-up that is conducted with individuals after their immediate crisis is resolved. Every effort is made to assure the individual will be successful with their behavioral health needs.
Because of the wide variety of strategies, including harm reduction, that have been implemented, the county’s non-fatal opioid overdoses are down 38% since 2018, and fatal overdoses have declined by 22%.
The newly released Community Plan for Behavioral Health in Anne Arundel County builds on successes like these and establishes a set of priorities and strategies aimed at increasing the availability, quality and uptake of behavioral health services, particularly by marginalized populations.
To continue with our success, we must reduce the stigma associated with behavioral health and increase resiliency among residents. We do this by collaborating across systems such as schools, healthcare and law enforcement and others to address root causes, barriers and gaps in resources.
We must also elevate behavioral health as a profession and leverage the skills of both seasoned professionals and paraprofessionals to help us further our mission and do this work.
It is imperative that all county services adhere to a Standard of Care that guarantees residents have access to evidencebased, comprehensive services that are responsive to their identity, culture, language and experiences of trauma.
To learn more and get involved, join us at the annual Behavioral Health Symposium on Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. This event is free and open to all including behavioral health professionals and interested members of the public.
The Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency partners with the Anne Arundel County Department of Health to form the Local Behavioral Health Authority (LBHA), which acts as the system manager for planning, managing, and monitoring public behavioral health services to create an ideal continuum of care for its residents.
If a resident is experiencing a behavioral health crisis, please call the warmline at 410-768-5522. We can be reached 24/7/365.
If you need help with substance use, the Treatment Referral Line can be reached Monday through Friday from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. at 410-222-0117.