WILMINGTON, Del. – On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long convened national and local experts, elected leaders, and community advocates in a first-of-its-kind summit discussing the state of Delaware residents’ behavioral and mental health. The inaugural day-long summit, 2023 Mental and Behavioral Health Summit: Pathways and Partnerships for a Stronger Delaware, comes amidst an ongoing national and state opioid crisis and a significant rise in the need for mental health treatment and services, a need made far worse by the pandemic and the vital gaps in access to care it caused.

“The emotional well-being of our families has never been more important. From Delawareans living with mental illness or substance use disorder to those whose families have been touched by trauma or suicide, ensuring people have the support they need demands a cradle to grave approach,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Chair of the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium. “This Summit provided an opportunity to bring leaders, experts, and impacted Delawareans together to address the root causes of these struggles, so our residents have the capacity to heal and thrive.”

Across the country, states are grappling with the fallout from COVID-19 impacting families, workforce needs, treatment, and more. The World Health Organization reported a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression in the year following the pandemic. State data cites that close to 1 in 4 Delaware adults — 22.2% — reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders between March 2020 and April 2023. According to the CDC, every 11 minutes in the United States we lose someone to suicide. And as the national opioid epidemic continues, Delaware recently reported its highest yearly overdose deaths in 2022.

The Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium, a national model, is a key action-agent that convenes community advocates, law enforcement, healthcare professionals and state leaders to tackle this issue head-on. In addition to spearheading Delaware legislation that created the nation’s first overdose system of care, the Consortium helped pass mental health parity legislation, and has advanced a holistic approach to care that emphasizes housing and food security and other social determinants of health.

“The Behavioral Health Consortium works tirelessly to create solutions that reduce stigma and support high-quality, personal prevention, treatment and recovery services for all Delawareans. Our residents deserve nothing less. I’m excited to see the future connections and collaboration this Summit nurtures,” said Alexia Wolf, Director of the Behavioral Health Consortium.

Panel discussions and featured speakers uplifted the voices of Delawareans and national expertise around data, policy, and the social determinants of health. Behavioral health isn’t in a silo; stable housing, affordable health care, food insecurity, and access to stable and well-paying jobs all impact a person’s recovery and resilience.

“Monday’s event is an important step forward in addressing the mental and behavioral health needs of Delawareans,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.). “I am proud of the bipartisan legislation I co-authored last year that helps bring mental health resources into our schools, which builds upon the work we are doing right here in the state. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort to ensure the mental health care needs of all Delawareans are met with accessibility and compassion.”

“The mental health challenges being faced by our nation – the overdose epidemic, the high rates of suicide, the prevalence of depression and anxiety among people, especially young people – are significant,” said Tom Coderre, acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “As this crucial summit gets under way, know that the Biden-Harris Administration is prioritizing approaches to safeguard the mental health of Americans, to connect people to the evidence-based treatments and supports they need to find recovery.”

To close the event, Lt. Governor Hall-Long led a special fireside chat with The Kennedy Forum founder and former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy around strategies to enhance behavioral and mental health support, covering insurance parity, wraparound treatment solutions and more.

“Lt. Governor Hall-Long continues to be a strong ally and champion for progress in our mental health and substance use systems. I was glad to join her on Monday, share updates on The Kennedy Forum’s work to ensure mental health is treated as essential health, and learn more about the Lt. Governor’s Behavioral Health Consortium as a national model for this work,” said former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) and Founder of The Kennedy Forum.

To get connected with the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium and the Lt. Governor’s Office, email alexia.wolf@delaware.gov or visit the Lt. Governor’s website.

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