Governor McMaster Signs Bill Creating New SC Behavioral Health Department

Governor Henry McMaster today held a ceremonial bill signing yesterday, establishing the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD). This legislation completes the most significant restructuring of South Carolina state government in over three decades, aiming to streamline critical health and human services.

The new BHDD merges 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 a single, cabinet-level agency directly accountable to the governor. Previously, DMH and DDSN were overseen by boards without direct executive accountability. This consolidation is designed to provide a unified point of access for South Carolinians seeking help for mental illness, developmental disabilities, or substance use disorders, addressing a previously fragmented system.

The reform effort began in 2023 following the Governor’s call for an independent review of the state’s behavioral health system, which identified it as among the most fragmented nationally. The newly formed BHDD will be led by a governor-appointed director and will comprise three offices: the Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Mental Health, and the Office of Substance Use Services. Each office will have its own director appointed by the BHDD director.

This bill builds upon the 2023 restructuring of the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which divided it into two separate 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 the early 1990s.

The new BHDD agency is co-located with DPH at the state’s health campus in Cayce, S.C. The two agencies collectively employ approximately 1,300 individuals at this campus, with around 450 attributed to BHDD.