Leonardtown, MD – In preparation for the Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene’s plan to integrate the administration of behavioral health administration statewide, the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County have scheduled a public hearing to solicit citizen comment about the plan.
The hearing will take place on Tuesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room in Leonardtown.
St. Mary’s County has conducted a comprehensive review of the administration of its behavioral health services and held two meetings with stakeholders. The purpose was to identify the appropriate lead agency to manage and monitor the mental health and substance abuse services in St. Mary’s County. Currently, this public health issue is largely led statewide by local health departments.
The Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene intends to complete the integration of behavioral health administration transition in fiscal year 2017. The recommendation is for St. Mary’s County to plan to transition administrative services from the Department of Aging and Human Services to the St. Mary’s County Health Department in fiscal year 2018.
A copy of the Behavioral Health Service Administration Report can be found on the county’s website at http://www.boarddocs.com/md/stmarysco/Board.nsf/files/A7B77B7BFD27/$file/Behavioral%20Health%20Services%20Admin%20Report.pdf or can be requested through the County Administrator’s Office.