COLUMBIA, S.C. (WPDE) — South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced the signing of a bill Tuesday, which established the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD) within the state.

“This reform represents the single most important step we’ve taken in over 30 years to bring direct accountability and leadership to the delivery of critical health and human services,” McMaster said. “For too long, South Carolinians struggling with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance use disorders have had to navigate through a confusing landscape of offices, agencies, and officials as they seek help for a loved one or dependent. Now with the creation of BHDD, South Carolinians will only need to go to one agency to get the help they need.”

The new department combines the former Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), and Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) into one single agency.

The new BHDD is directly accountable to the Governor.

“Prior to this bill, DMH and DDSN were run by boards of commissioners with no direct accountability to the executive branch,” McMaster’s Office explained.

“This is a big day for South Carolina. It is an important piece of legislation that will make our citizens happier and healthier,” South Carolina Senator Harvey Peeler said.

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BHDD will be led by a director appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

It includes the following three offices, with each office led by a director who will be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the director:

  • Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
  • Office of Mental Health
  • Office of Substance Use Services

The bill builds upon the governor’s 2023 signing of the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) restructuring bill, which reconstituted the agency as two cabinet agencies – the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Environmental Services.

“Together, these reforms represent the largest overhaul of state government since Governor Carroll Campbell led a restructuring of state agencies in the early 1990s,” McMaster’s Office said.

BHDD is located at the state’s health campus in Cayce, alongside DPH. Together, the two agencies employ approximately 1,300 individuals at the campus – 861 with DPH and approximately 450 with BHDD.

“For too long, mental health services have been spread across multiple entities, resulting in confusion, delays in care, and opportunities missed to intervene. With this bill, we are changing that,” South Carolina Representative Sylleste Davis said.