Wednesday, January 15, 2025
1/15/2025
In addition to devastating morbidity and mortality, the current COVID-19 pandemic has wrought significant behavioral health and safety challenges across the population. With stress related to unemployment,jobrelated pressure and trauma for healthcare and other essential workers, and losses of family, friends,and community connections,Delawareans are facing unprecedented behavioral health and safety challenges, including those related to suicide and domestic violence. In response, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) will oversee the COVID-19 Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention (COVID-19 ERSP) initiative which will be managed by a 1.0 FTE Project Director (to be hired). The proposed COVID-19 ERSP initiative will build upon systems initiated in 2018 with the state's Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Transformation Initiative (START). The START Initiative fosters system wide quality improvement to engage more Delawareans suffering from behavioral health disorder in treatment. DSAMH's START Initiative is guided by a set of strategic drivers or goals 1. Engaging and stabilizing people with behavioral health needs wherever they might be ready to engage; 2. Improving coordination across referrals and transitions; 3. Providing seamless access to care management and social needs that supports mental, physical, social and spiritual well-being; 4. Providing person-centered, peer-supported, long-term treatment support for patients and families in the community, and; 5. Building prepared and resilient communities. Aligned with these strategic drivers, DSAMH's COVID-19 ERSP Initiative will 1. build upon the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition's suicide prevention strategy to expand efforts to target adults in the priority populations with an awareness and prevention communications campaign, as well as deliver evidence-based and culturally relevant training for key community partners whio interact with Delaware's families in identifying warning signs of suicide and domestic violence; 2. create protocols for and increase the capacity of the treatment system and first responders to appropriately screen, identify and make referrals through the Delaware Treatment and Referral Network (DTRN) for suicidality/suicidal ideation and domestic violence; 3. Provide evidence-based intervention to prevent and respond to suicidal ideation attempts, which feature safety planning and rapid follow-up; 4. offer continuity of care for those who have attempted suicide or experienced a suicidal crisis after discharge from emergency departments and impatient psychiatric facilities through care management, virtual behavioral support, peer-to-peer recovery support, and access to safe and secure housing for victims of domestic violence; 5. apply meaningful evaluation methodology to assess short, medium and long-term outcomes of this initiative.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).