Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Expanding Treatment Services to Fight Addiction

Last year in Delaware, 185 people died of a suspected overdose. That’s one person every other day. Across our state, families are worried that if their loved ones are not soon connected to treatment, any single day could be their last. It’s clear addiction is a disease that impacts all of us, which means we all play a role in fighting it.

This past week, I proposed the most significant expansion of Delaware’s treatment services in over a decade. It calls for increasing withdrawal management services statewide and ensuring clinics match services to individuals’ needs, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. We’ll double the number of sober living residential beds statewide from 60 to 120, allowing more individuals who are in the early stages of recovery to live in safe, secure housing that is free from drugs and alcohol. To provide a strong foundation for long-term recovery for young people age 18 to 25, we’ll also doubling the number of beds available to those who are beginning their recoveries from opiate addiction. And we’ll increase accessibility to residential treatment by opening new programs statewide.

The proposal would support several efforts already underway. These include the recently launched information website www.HelpIsHereDE.com, which features prevention information and tips for parents and teens, along with treatment and recovery resources for those already impacted by addiction.

When Delawareans are ready for treatment, we must have beds available for them. By connecting people to the services and support they need, and by remembering that a lost opportunity for them is a missed opportunity for all of us to benefit from their talents, we’ll fight this disease and save lives. And that will keep Delaware moving forward.