“Wellness begins with ‘we.’ We as a community need to come together. We need to save more lives. There are people out there who don’t know where to go. Don’t know how to get the help they need. There needs to be more safe spaces for everyone.” – Ripley Murphy, Young Adult Peer Support Specialist

Diane Lane and Ripley Murphy know what it’s like to find behavioral health care when you need it. Now, they work at Chesapeake Voyagers, helping others find peer support and recovery.

As the Maryland General Assembly nears the final weeks of its legislative session, behavioral health advocates are keeping up a steady drumbeat of support for legislation to ensure Marylanders can get the support they need.

Last month, hundreds of advocates, family members, people who have received care, and providers came together in Annapolis to call for strong support for behavioral health services at the Keep the Door Open Rally.

The rallying cry was clear: we must keep the door open to behavioral health care so everyone will have access to the services they need to support their emotional health and wellness.

Access to lifesaving care is at risk as Maryland lawmakers consider millions of dollars in cuts to behavioral health funding. These cuts threaten school-based mental health care, the network of behavioral health services in our community, and certified community behavioral health clinics. A special thanks to Senator Fry Hester, Senator Augustine, Delegate White-Holland, Senator Lam, and Senator Mautz who have been champions for restoring behavioral health funding.

Cutting funding for behavioral health services means reducing the availability of mental health and substance use services, putting Marylanders at risk and harming the health of our communities. We join many other organizations in urging the General Assembly to restore this funding to ensure people can access the care they need, in their own schools and communities.