He gets an update on Frederick County’s Crisis Stabilization Center.
Rep. David Trone
Frederick, Md (KM) Sixth District Representative David Trone joined Maryland’s two US Senators, Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, for a round table discussion last Friday on the topic of mental health and drugs.
He says he was impressed with the progress being made in the construction a crisis stabilization center in Frederick at 340 Montevue Lane. “It’s for folks that are in addictions and./or suffering mental health or behavioral health challenges to go, have a bed, have the right people there to talk to them while they stabilized as opposed to having them go to the E.R.,” he says.
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Former County Executive Jan Gardner announced plans last year to establish a crisis stabilization center at 340 Montevue Lane. Frederick County is receiving two federal grants totaling $2.5-million, a $1-million state grant, and $850,000 from the county’s share of the American Resume Plan Act for the project. . The facility is expected to open this summer.
The center will be operated by the Mental Health Association of Frederick County which will set up its walk-in clinic at 340 Montevue Lane.
Trone also says Congress is working on another bill dealing with mental health. “And we’re going to have $50-million on training for police departments to help them deal with a person who has behavioral health or mental health challenges that they run into in the line of duty,” he says.
He says the funding will train local police officers to de-escalate encounters with behavioral or mental health issues.
Trone also noted that deaths from mental health issues and addictions still remains a problem. “We lost another 100,000 Americans in 2022 just like the 100,000 in 2021,” he said. “We lead Congress in trying to help people in these two areas.”
Representative Trone co-founded and currently chairs the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force. His office says the panel has helped pass 26 bills into law in the last Congress.
In addition to Representative Trone, and Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, round table participants also included County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, Health Officer Dr. Barbara Brookmyer, Director of Mental Health Services Andrea Walker, and other local public health officials and behavioral health providers.
By Kevin McManus