The Peninsula Regional Medical Center Foundation recently launched a campaign to raise $1 million to expand access to behavioral health services on Delmarva. The need for these services is becoming critical. As more people seek treatment for conditions such as anxiety, depression, anorexia, addictions, dementia and other behavioral health conditions, Peninsula Regional Medical Center is determined to help them.

More than 5,600 visits to Peninsula Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department in 2014 were for behavioral health concerns – 15 percent of those visits were for children. In the Salisbury area, the ratio of psychiatrists to individuals is 1 to 5,000. In October alone, 50 children and 338 adults came to the ED for treatment. Unfortunately, there are only 15 beds on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for children in need of acute behavioral health care, and 72 for adults. The need is clear.

That’s why the Peninsula Regional Medical Center Foundation’s campaign will support the creation of a behavioral health service line that will expand current services and bring the available number of beds up to 17, an addition of five new beds in total.

PRMC, in partnership with Adventist HealthCare Behavioral Health & Wellness Services, is bringing three psychiatrists to provide assessments and outpatient treatment for children and adolescents here. The National Institute of Mental Health says that 21 percent of children ages 13 to 18 suffer from a mental disorder. Early intervention is vitally important for adolescents.

Community members who wish to support this campaign may visit peninsula.org/waystogive to bring help and hope to people on Delmarva with behavioral health needs, or call the Foundation office at 410-543-7140.