House Committee Leaders Lament Health Department’s Slow Progress on Behavioral Health Reforms

Leadership from the House Health and Government Operations Committee slammed the Maryland Department of Health Wednesday afternoon for what they view as the agency’s slow approach to addressing mental health policy. “I’m totally disheartened,” said Committee Chair Shane E. Pendergrass (D-Howard). Pendergrass pointed to a number of issues, including an increased need for services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rollbacks on reimbursements for telehealth services and slow development on a program that would expedite getting patients to psychiatric beds.