Legislation Document

SPONSOR:	Sen. Hansen & Sen. Poore & Rep. Minor-Brown
Sens. Brown, Buckson, Hoffner, Lockman, Pettyjohn, Pinkney, Wilson; Reps. Baumbach, Briggs King

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3

REQUESTING THAT THE DIVISION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF REPLACING THE DELAWARE PSYCHIATRIC CENTER.

WHEREAS, beginning with the establishment of the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst in 1889, the State has continuously operated a psychiatric hospital for over 130 years on what is now known as the Department of Health and Social Services’ Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Campus (“Holloway Campus”); and

WHEREAS, the State’s psychiatric hospital, now known as the Delaware Psychiatric Center (“DPC”), is a vital part of the continuum of recovery services, providing a treatment component in Delaware’s behavioral healthcare system to assess, evaluate, and treat people with the most complex psychiatric conditions who are at risk of harm to self or others and who cannot be effectively treated by existing available services in the community; and

WHEREAS, under § 7908(c)(5) of Title 29, the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health in the Department of Health and Social Services’ (“DHSS”) is responsible for the operation of DPC, including maintaining the forensic unit required under Chapter 51 of Title 16; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly has further expressed the intent and policy of continuing the operation of DPC under Chapter 51 of Title 16, by providing for DPC’s Director and giving DHSS responsibility for the property of DPC; and

WHEREAS, on average, the buildings comprising DPC are more than 50 years old and require extensive maintenance and upkeep; and

WHEREAS, over 20 years ago, replacing DPC’s facilities was part of the master plan for the redesign of the Holloway Campus; and

WHEREAS, by 2007, the State had invested more than $10 million in redesigning the Holloway Campus, including completing design work, demolition of buildings, asbestos abatement, historical review, geotechnical and utility surveys, and site preparation; and

WHEREAS, in May of 2007, all work on the new facilities was halted; and

WHEREAS, in December of 2007, the Governor’s Task Force on the Delaware Psychiatric Center (“Task Force”) published a report stating that DPC’s facilities were “outdated, costly to maintain, and in need of ongoing expensive maintenance”; and

WHEREAS, in the same report, the Task Force recommended “that the State move forward with construction as rapidly as possible”; and

WHEREAS, no new construction has occurred at DPC since work on the redesign of the Holloway Campus stopped in 2007; and

WHEREAS, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the design of mental health care facilities plays a significant role in staff safety and satisfaction, client treatment outcomes, and cost reduction; and

WHEREAS, DHSS has federal funding that can be used to study the feasibility of replacing the current DPC facilities and to gather input regarding DPC’s current and future needs.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 152 ^nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (“DSAMH”) is requested to assess the feasibility of replacing the Delaware Psychiatric Center’s (“DPC”) facilities, including gathering input regarding DPC’s current and future needs.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no later than December 31, 2023, DSAMH should submit a report detailing the findings from the feasibility assessment of replacing DPC, including its current and future needs, to all the following: the Governor, all members of the General Assembly, the Controller General, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, with copies to the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Research of Legislative Council, and the Delaware Public Archives.