DOVER — The state Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is preparing to launch a transportation request feature in its Delaware Treatment and Referral Network — an e-referral system for behavioral health.
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By Tim MastroDOVER — The state Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is preparing to launch a transportation request feature in its Delaware Treatment and Referral Network — an e-referral system for behavioral health.
The program will allow providers to request rides for their clients to and from treatment appointments. DSAMH is already piloting the feature with its division-run programs and will expand to outside organizations soon, director Joanna Champney told the Joint Finance Committee on Thursday.
DSAMH has a recommended budget of $148.7 million for the upcoming fiscal year, which will cover programs to assist mental health crisis prevention, suicide prevention, the state’s opioid response and other behavioral health issues.
In December, the agency surpassed the mark of 100,000 referrals through DTRN for behavioral health services to and from DSAMH’s 65 participating organizations. Of those referrals, 75% are answered within two hours, Ms. Champney said.
She added that the referral system allows DSAMH to track and monitor what services are in demand and how many of them result in a successful connection to care.
The new transportation link will help underserved areas with greater access to care, especially Downstate, Ms. Champney said. It will also be funded by federal grant money, she added.
“South of the canal in particular, because of transportation barriers, there’s not as many treatment providers available Downstate,” Ms. Champney said. “Transportation is a major issue for people, so that’s one of the reasons that we are investing that federal grant money into transportation, so that there is no barrier to care.”
The state hopes to combat a rise in mental health issues by increasing access to behavioral health specialists.
The 24/7 Delaware Hope Line handled a significant increase in calls throughout the pandemic, Ms. Champney said. The service launched in May 2020 and fielded 16 calls that month; it now answers up to 245 a month. During the conversations, counselors connect with Delawareans experiencing behavioral health issues or their family members, guiding them to appropriate treatment.
Additionally, DSAMH will be rolling out the federally required 988 suicide-prevention hotline by June.
It is also expanding its law enforcement diversion program to an additional three Delaware State Police troops this year, due to the success of the initiative and high demand, Ms. Champney said. Troops 2, 3 and 7 are currently involved, and DSAMH is working to expand to Troops 1, 4 and 5 by March, with the goal of helping people who encountered police due to overdose or co-occurring mental health conditions get linked up with division clinicians.
Ms. Champney said 551 individuals were referred to DSAMH case managers and 135 have accepted services, while 119 successfully entered substance use disorder treatment via the diversion program. She added that this acceptance rate of nearly 25% is 10%-15% higher than other jurisdictions with similar strategies.
The division is also expanding its Bridge Clinics — where people or their loved ones in crisis can seek in-person help for behavioral health conditions. The New Castle County Bridge Clinic is now operating 24/7, and DSAMH opened another clinic at the New Castle County Hope Center to support unhoused Delawareans in need of behavioral health support.
These clinics served more than 1,500 in 2021 — an 82% increase in demand year over year.
A staff hub is also preparing to launch at Eighth and Market streets in Wilmington. This facility will feature the Bridge Clinic outreach teams who will work to engage homeless individuals and those with behavioral needs in the downtown area through a partnership with Downtown Visions, the Riverfront Development Corp., the Wilmington Department of Parks and Recreation and local businesses.
Ms. Champney said all these options will provide those with behavioral health needs “somewhere to call, someone to respond and somewhere to go.”
“Depending on what level the crisis is, the crisis planning does involve creating those types of hubs for children, adolescents and adults,” she said.
