“More people getting insurance is great, but we want to make sure people can access the care they need when they need it,” said Adrienne Ellis, director of the Parity Project at the Mental Health Association.

“Individuals living with mental illness do not have the luxury of waiting four to six months for mental health treatment,” said Jessica Honke, policy and advocacy director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Maryland. “Long waits for treatment can increase the severity of mental illness and consequently the intensity and costs of the services being provided.”

In a new report from the Maryland Parity Project, a program of the Mental Health Association of Maryland, behavioral health care seekers face serious challenges finding psychiatric services due to provider shortages, outrageous delays, and outdated provide information.

Read the full story here in the Baltimore Sun.