The Maryland Department of Health marked the one-year anniversary of its statewide plan to overhaul behavioral health services for children and families this week, touting new crisis-response training and workforce investments while acknowledging the scale of the mental health challenges facing young Marylanders remains significant.
The department released its Roadmap to Strengthen Maryland’s Public Behavioral Health System for Children, Youth and Families in July 2025, developed with the consulting firm Manatt Health and the Maryland Coalition of Families. The plan was built around data showing 30% of Maryland middle and high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, that suicide is the third-leading cause of death for Marylanders ages 10 to 24, and that the state loses more than 100 young people each year to alcohol- and drug-related overdoses.
“One year into our Roadmap implementation, I’m incredibly proud of the progress to build a more connected and responsive behavioral health system for Maryland’s children and families,” Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani said in a statement marking the anniversary. “These achievements represent our fundamental commitment to improving the health and well-being of the next generation.”
Over the past year, the department said it worked with statewide partners to expand cross-agency collaboration, invest in the behavioral health workforce and incorporate feedback from youth and families directly into policy decisions. Among the steps the department highlighted: establishing training for Mobile Response and Stabilization Services so clinicians, peers and paraprofessionals are prepared to respond to behavioral health crises; helping Medicaid providers identify developmental and emotional concerns earlier through expanded screening; targeted investment in workforce recruitment and retention; and efforts to expand home- and community-based behavioral health providers under the state’s 1915(i) Medicaid waiver program.
Southern Maryland has been part of that broader mobile-crisis buildout. St. Mary’s and Charles counties launched a joint mobile crisis team last year, operated by the Affiliated Santé Group, that dispatches a behavioral health professional and a peer recovery specialist to respond in person to people experiencing a crisis, with phone support available around the clock through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Calvert County operates its own 24/7 Calvert Crisis Response team, which pairs a medical provider, therapist and peer recovery specialist to provide same-day treatment access, including for opioid-related crises. The three counties also coordinate through a regional Crisis Intervention Team program that trains local law enforcement officers alongside mental health professionals to improve how first responders handle behavioral health emergencies in the field.
Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health Dr. Rachel Talley said the department intends to build on the first year’s progress with new initiatives, including a Young Adult Peer Support certification program designed to train young people with lived experience to support their peers. “We remain dedicated to establishing a behavioral health system that is sustainable, equitable and fully accessible for every child and family in Maryland,” Talley said. “We will fulfill this commitment by introducing our new Young Adult Peer Support certification initiatives, broadening the impact of evidence-based practices and continuing to incorporate the essential insights of the families we serve.”
The Roadmap outlines five broad objectives intended to guide the state’s approach over a multiyear period, drawing on strategies used in other states along with specific timelines and resource needs for Maryland’s Department of Health and its partner agencies. State officials have framed the plan as a long-term structural effort rather than a quick fix, acknowledging that measurable improvement in youth mental health outcomes typically takes years to materialize even after new services and funding are put in place.
The full Roadmap and an executive summary are available on the Maryland Department of Health’s website, and additional information on the state’s adolescent and children’s behavioral health resources is posted at health.maryland.gov/youthbehavioralhealth.
This story references data on youth suicide and substance use, which can be a sensitive topic for some readers. Marylanders experiencing a behavioral health crisis, or concerned about a young person who may be, can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or contact Southern Maryland’s regional mobile crisis teams: the Santé Group serving St. Mary’s and Charles counties, and Calvert Crisis Response at 877-467-5628, available 24/7.
