The Mental Health Task Force of Northwest Florida met again last week in private. No announcement of the meeting appeared on its website, and no minutes of the meeting and other past sessions have been posted.
Fortunately, attendees have shared what was discussed. The group did review the State Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse’s interim report that we reported on last month – See Mental Health Care Failures.
The consultant that was hired by somebody and paid for with funds from unreported sources- Ernst & Young – gave an update on its efforts. The local needs highlighted included access to Behavioral Health Services for both mental health and drug abuse, recovery-oriented services, hiring more Behavioral Health workers, crisis services, services for the homeless with behavioral health needs and wraparound services.
Those needs were then presented as possible planks for a future strategic plan:
- Expanding access to affordable, quality and comprehensive care,
- Enhancing crisis services,
- Adding more recovery programs,
- Increasing wraparound services, such as transportation, housing, and legal help,
- Hiring more behavioral health staff, and
- Creating a common data-sharing and reporting system.
Many of these ideas were covered by the State Commission.
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