South Carolina Governor Signs Bill Merging Three Health Agencies

Governor Henry McMaster signed legislation establishing the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD), merging the Department of Mental Health, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services into one cabinet-level agency. This restructuring aims to streamline services and improve accountability by placing the new department directly under the governor's oversight, unlike the previous agencies which operated under separate boards. The BHDD will be led by a director appointed by the governor with Senate approval, and each office within the department will have directors appointed by the BHDD director. The reform follows a 2023 review that identified South Carolina's behavioral health system as the most fragmented in the country and represents the most significant state government restructuring in over three decades. Officials highlighted the new department will simplify access to behavioral health resources for South Carolinians dealing with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse. The BHDD is headquartered on the state health campus in Cayce, South Carolina.