Mental health facilities planned
DSU, agency to start downstate centers

Delaware State University and the Mental Health Association in Delaware are planning to start mental health education centers to help fill a gap of services in southern Delaware.

In addition to increasing the university's community involvement, the centers will provide a learning environment for students and faculty in areas from nursing to social work, said DSU spokesman Carlos Holmes.

"It is at an early stage, but there is a strong commitment," he said. Discussions are under way about locations, funding and programming.

A full-time professor has been hired for the centers, which will be staffed by faculty and Mental Health Association professionals.

James Lafferty, executive director of the mental health group, said the centers, approved by the DSU board in June, will help solve a persistent problem affecting residents' quality of life.

"It really allows the Mental Health Association to draw on the resources of DSU to better reach the people of Kent and Sussex counties," he said.

Lafferty said the project will tackle a problem that also is being examined at the state level.

A subcommittee of the Delaware Health Care Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. John Carney, has been studying mental health services in the state. The panel began its work after Lafferty and another mental health advocate brought problems, including the downstate shortage, to state officials' attention.

The centers will help educate residents of Kent and Sussex about the signs and symptoms of mental illness, offer workshops and conferences, provide screenings and help clients get the treatment they need, the university said.

Amy L. Milligan, president of the Mental Health Association board of directors, called the project an important step for southern Delaware residents.

"We are very excited about the partnership with DSU," she said. "This will open up a new avenue for Delawareans to get the information they need on mental health."

The agency promotes prevention of mental illnesses and and early intervention through education, support services and advocacy.

But operating the downstate mental health centers with the university will be a major expansion for the private nonprofit agency formed in 1932.

"For us," he said, "it's a very big step."

The centers will be part of the university's new College of Health and Public Policy.