Behavioral health is a major public health issue in the District of Columbia. Sadly, many of the legislative and regulatory initiatives around behavioral health are tied to other public health concerns, such as opioid addiction, maternal mortality, and health equity.

In partnership with the Washington Psychiatric Society, AMA, and American Psychiatric Association (APA), MSDC works to ensure that patients receive appropriate support for behavioral health issues, that the practice of psychiatry is supported in the District, and that psychiatrists are available to patients in the District.

MSDC was a proud supporter of the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, which enshrined into law that all health plans offered by an insurance carrier meet federal requirements of the Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

MSDC Statements and Testimony of Behavioral Health Issues

25th Council period information coming soon

District Launches Mental Health Emergency Dispatch Program

May 18, 2021, 10:31 AM by MSDC Staff

Joining other cities, the District is trialing a program to better serve people in emergencies who need behavioral health attention.

To better address behavioral health emergencies, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new program on Monday to provide targeted resources rather than general police dispatch.

The program trains 911 operators to identify mental health situations which triggers a behavioral health expert to go to the situation. Currently, the program is a pilot that launches next month. During the pilot, the Department of Behavioral Health's (DBH) Community Response Teams (CRT) will mobilize to respond to an emergency when so identified by a 911 call. The operators are currently receiving training on when to dispatch CRT and/or police to these types of calls. If the pilot is considered successful, the District will evaluate what additional resources would be needed to continue the program.

“This program builds on all our efforts to make sure we are providing residents the right care at the right time,” said Mayor Bowser in a press release. “The sooner we can identify what a person needs - whether that is an ambulance, a doctor’s appointment, or in this case, a visit from a behavioral health expert, the sooner we can help them. That’s what this is about: making sure we get Washingtonians the help they need when they call us.”

The pilot is a partnership between Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, the City Administrator, the Office of Unified Communications, and DBH.

Sample of Legislation MSDC is Tracking in Behavioral Health

(see the whole list of bills here)

Suicide Prevention Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2019 (B23-543)

What does it do? The bill requires licensed health providers to complete 2 hours of CME on suicide prevention, assessment, and screening.

MSDC position: MSDC opposes the bill as written as the language does not encourage physician wellbeing or sufficient awareness of suicide prevention.

Current status: The bill had a hearing with the Committee on Health on June 10.