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DHSS Press Release

Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary
For more information,
contact Jill Fredel, Director of Communications
302-255-9047 (office) or 302-357-7498 (cell)
Email: jill.fredel@delaware.gov

Date: July 11, 2019
DHSS-07-2019

DIVISION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS OPEN SUSSEX COUNTY BRIDGE CLINIC TO HELP INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS AND OPIOID USE DISORDER

NEW CASTLE (July 11, 2019) - As a new support for individuals and families impacted by the effects of mental health and substance use issues, the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) officially will open the Sussex County Bridge Clinic on July 15 at the Promise Access Center in Georgetown, providing screening and referrals to treatment, as well as additional services. The Sussex County clinic joins a similar clinic in New Castle County, which opened in March near New Castle.

The Sussex County Bridge Clinic, which is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, is available to all Delaware residents at the Thurman Adams State Service Center, 546 S. Bedford St., Georgetown. The clinic's services, which do not require an appointment, include:

Screening and referrals to treatment.
Evaluations conducted by qualified, licensed clinicians.
Guidance navigating the care network.
Training for administering naloxone, an overdose-reversal medication.
Transportation to and from the facility may be available.
All services made available regardless of ability to pay.

"In opening this Sussex County Bridge Clinic, we are providing rapid access to qualified clinicians who can help individuals and their families to understand what type of treatment is needed for loved ones and how to engage with the treatment system," said Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a practicing family physician. "For too many Delaware families in the throes of a behavioral health crisis, they can be overwhelmed simply by trying to navigate the system. The Bridge Clinic provides an in-person starting point."

Secretary Walker said the opening of the new clinic helps to engage high-risk populations in treatment, one of four main recommendations from a team of researchers and clinicians at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In April 2017, Secretary Walker asked Johns Hopkins to conduct a review of Delaware's addiction treatment system. In July 2018, the Johns Hopkins team issued a 33-page report that proposed four main strategies:

Increase the capacity of the treatment system.
Engage high-risk populations in treatment.
Create incentives for quality care.
Use data to guide reform and monitor progress.

"Our bridge team leads with care and commitment," said DSAMH Director Elizabeth Romero. "Persistence is a core principle, and they will never give up helping a client along their journey to recovery."

For more information, call the Sussex County Bridge Clinic at 302-515-3310.

To reach the New Castle County Bridge Clinic at 14 Central Ave., New Castle (just off U.S. 13), call 302-255-1650.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

DIVISION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS OPEN SUSSEX COUNTY BRIDGE CLINIC TO HELP INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS AND OPIOID USE DISORDER

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