Carney: Collaborative approach will fight addiction
State officials say coordination is the key to fighting the addiction epidemic in Delaware.
With the future SUN Behavioral Delaware mental health complex in Georgetown as a backdrop Aug. 16, Gov. John Carney signed two laws intended to bring together policy makers, doctors and healthcare administrators to battle drug addiction.
“This is a serious problem statewide, from suburban New Castle County where I grew up, to rural Kent and Sussex County and every place in between,” Carney said. “We're losing our kids in all of those communities.”
Senate Bill 111 establishes the Behavioral Health Consortium, a 21-member group tasked with overseeing public and private organizations that deal with behavioral healthcare and substance abuse treatment. The consortium is expected to produce its first report by March 1, 2018.
The second bill, House Bill 220, creates the Addiction Action Committee, a 17-member group that will “establish a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to address addiction in Delaware.” The committee is expected to recommend prevention, treatment and monitoring practices to combat addiction in Delaware. The committee replaces the Prescription Drug Action Committee, which was established in February 2012 to collect data, promote prevention and address pain management resources.
“If there's ever a place where you can come up with a comprehensive, coordinated approach to a problem and actually move the needle and make a difference, it's here in our wonderful state of Delaware,” Carney said.
State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown, said she expects the new committees will be successful in coordinating care for those struggling with substance abuse.
“I think there has been a disconnect, where several of the agencies were working in silos,” she said, comparing the plan for the Behavioral Health Consortium to the Delaware Cancer Consortium formed nearly a decade ago. Briggs King is a member of the cancer consortium, which Carney also identified as a success story.
“I've seen it work with the cancer consortium,” she said. “It'll really bring in those providers, the insurers, and bring a lot of different groups together. This will put all of the agencies at the table at one time to talk about the challenges we're having.”
So far this year, 139 Delawareans have lost their lives due to suspected overdoses, the Department of Health and Social Services reports. In 2016, records show 308 people died from overdoses from all drugs and alcohol. Last year marked a 35 percent increase from 228 overdose deaths reported in 2015, state officials said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, go to HelpIsHereDE.com for a list of treatment, recovery and prevention resources.
