Latest news with #crisisservices
CBS News
28-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Maryland releases plan to strengthen youth behavioral health system amid "urgent need for reform," health officials say
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) released a plan to strengthen the state's youth behavioral health system amid an "urgent need for reform," officials said. The guide aims to expand crisis services for children, address staffing shortages and provide more support for families. The five-step plan comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 30% of Maryland middle and high school students report feeling sad or hopeless. According to the MDH, more than 100 young people die each year from drug or alcohol overdoses, and suicide is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24. "The roadmap is a vital next step in our response to the urgent needs of Maryland youth," said Alyssa Lord, the Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health. Strengthening Maryland's youth behavioral health system The plan identifies several goals to strengthen Maryland's youth behavioral health system. MDH hopes to increase partnerships with other agencies and organizations to expand services. Currently, the system has a number of resources, including the 211 hotline and 988 hotline, which families can use during crises. Maryland is also one of 11 states to have a Youth Mental Health Corps, which connects young people with trained personnel. Despite this, MDH said families have reported that resources are not easily accessible or widely shared. The department plans to expand and streamline resources for families, adding them to a web portal and investing in additional outreach efforts. Through the plan, the MDH also aims to bolster early intervention programs to help identify behavioral and mental health issues earlier on. The department will look at data from other states to determine whether services should be provided even before a diagnosis is given. Officials will also work with Medicaid to encourage follow-ups after screenings. According to the department, the earlier intervention could help families save money in the long term. According to the guide, it could take Maryland longer to adopt these changes due to the shared responsibility across several agencies. The plan also includes strategies to increase a diverse and sustainable workforce to ensure the system is effective. "Nationally, even as the need for behavioral health services continues to rise, 122 million individuals live in a mental health professional shortage area," the MDH said in its guide. In Maryland, nearly 80% of behavioral health programs for youth have staffing vacancies, according to the department. MDH hopes to combat this by identifying gaps in training and investing in the development of health providers. The plan aims to expand in-home care to address the needs of children with disabilities, those in the LGBTQ+ community, and those who are in foster care or are part of military families. The MDH also plans to engage more with families who use youth behavioral health services. This will help the department determine new policies and develop a more effective system. In its long-term plan, the department acknowledges that reform will not happen overnight. "...While some parts of the PBHS are currently working well, there is significant room for improvement to ensure that services are family-centered, easy to navigate and access when needed, and that the system is person-centered and culturally responsive," the Department of Health said.
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Trump administration removing 988 hotline service tailored to LGBTQ+ youth in July
The 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will stop providing tailored support options to LGBTQ+ youth and young adults on July 17, according to a statement on a federal agency's website. The decision preempts the Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal to cut funding for 988's LGBTQ+ youth and young adult services, and is raising alarm bells among LGBTQ+ advocates. Federal data shows the LGBTQ+ youth program has served nearly 1.3 million callers since it started in September 2022. The services were accessible under the 'Press 3' option on the phone to by replying 'PRIDE' via text. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. ___ The decision was was made to 'no longer silo' the services and 'to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said in a statement dated Tuesday on its website. News of the LGBTQ+ service shutting down comes as the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors on Wednesday. The Trevor Project said it received official notice Tuesday that the program was ending. The nonprofit is one of seven centers that provides 988 crisis support services for LGBTQ+ people — and serves nearly half of the people who contact the lifeline. ' Suicide prevention is about people, not politics,' Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement Wednesday. 'The administration's decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.' In its statement on the 988 decision, SAMHSA referred to the 'LGB+ youth services.' Black called the omission of the 'T' representing transgender people 'callous.' 'Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased,' he said. The Trevor Project will continue to run its 24/7 mental health support services, as will other organizations, and leaders of 988 say the hotline will serve anyone who calls with compassion. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 49,300 suicides in 2023 — about the highest level in the nation's history, based on preliminary data. Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk of suicide, including a 2024 analysis by the CDC that found 26% transgender and gender-questioning students attempted suicide in the past year. That's compared with 5% of cisgender male and 11% of cisgender female students. Young transgender people flooded crisis hotlines with calls after President Donald Trump was re-elected. Trump made anti-transgender themes central to his campaign and has since rolled back many civil rights protections and access to gender-affirming care. Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 into law in October 2020. The specific 988 subprogram for LGBTQ+ youth cost $33 million in fiscal year 2024, according to SAMHSA, and as of June 2025, more than $33 million has been spent on the services. The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal called for keeping 988's total budget at $520 million even while eliminating the LGBTQ+ services. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to wrap SAMHSA and other agencies into a new HHS office called Administration for a Healthy America, where it would coexist with employees from other agencies responsible for chemical exposures and work-related injuries. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
