Reasons for Hope This Mental Health Awareness Month
5/1/2024
This article first appeared as a column in the 2025 May issue of South Florida Hospital News
By Mary Mayhew, FHA President and CEO
As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, we celebrate the strides Florida is making to address challenges to timely access to high quality mental health care. We also know that we can and must do better. There are still too many gaps in access to the full spectrum of behavioral health care – from prevention and early intervention to crisis intervention and daily supports such as the Clubhouse model so that every Floridian has access to the right treatment and support when they need it.
Tragically, too many Floridians experience barriers to accessing essential community-based behavioral health services promptly, with 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youths experiencing mental illness every year. Florida has more than 400,000 children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and developmental issues, but only about half are able to access services. Nearly 3 million adults in Florida have a mental health condition, but an estimated nearly 800,000 have not received care.
The impacts of delayed or foregone mental health care are felt in our families, our schools, our workplaces, our justice system, and our health care settings. Unmet mental health care needs affect family stability, undermine a child’s ability to thrive and succeed in school, jeopardize wellness and happiness for far too many, and too often shorten lives.
Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce
Addressing the shortage of mental health professionals is paramount. Without enough mental health professionals, whether psychiatrists, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, social workers, or counselors, delays in care will persist. Currently, Florida has a behavioral health provider-to-population ratio of 510:1, ranking 43rd nationally. Our state has more than 200 federally designated mental health professional shortage areas, which leaves just 21 percent of the need for mental health professionals being met.
The Legislature’s establishment of state-designated behavioral health teaching hospitals, as part of the 2024 Live Healthy legislation, is a significant step forward in the work to increase the number of mental health professionals. These institutions will train the next generation of behavioral health providers, ensuring a robust workforce equipped to meet the growing need. However, it is imperative that Florida is able to retain these graduates in good-paying jobs here in Florida. If not, we will educate and export to other states. Florida Medicaid is the dominant payor for mental health services, and reimbursement rates paid by Medicaid through managed care plans (private insurance companies) must keep pace with the labor costs and other critical investments to ensure access to high quality mental health services in Florida.
Expanding Access to Timely Care and Intervention Through Community Initiatives
Another notable advancement is increased support for the highly effective model of care, behavioral health mobile response teams. These teams, available 24/7, provide immediate crisis intervention and de-escalation services and effectively reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and law enforcement engagement. There are 55 mobile response teams serving the 67 counties of the state. Remarkably, 82 percent of individuals served by these teams are stabilized without requiring hospitalization.
But, more can be done. These teams are funded with state general revenue. Leveraging federal Medicaid dollars would provide stable, long-term funding.
Another community-based care model – certified community behavioral health centers (CCBHCs) – provide 24/7 wraparound services to assist in stabilizing those experiencing a mental health crisis. The programs have demonstrated significant reductions in hospitalizations, incarceration, and homelessness. Expanding these programs is also critical. The Florida Legislature has included authorization for the state to pursue Medicaid funding for these incredibly effective models of care. Again, Medicaid funding is critical for the sustainability of these models.
And, maintaining mental health requires not just access to mental health services but also education, housing, employment, and other supports such as the Clubhouse model. Clubhouse programs offer wellness, employment assistance, and community engagement and have a crucial role in promoting recovery and reintegration for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness. The Clubhouse model focuses on empowerment, employment, and recovery, shifting from crisis care to long-term stability. Despite their proven effectiveness, however, Medicaid reimbursement remains stagnant at $5.00 per quarter hour. Increasing rates and leveraging the federal match for this extremely cost-effective service is not only the right thing to do, it also will save money on preventable emergency department visits and psychiatric readmissions.
Collaborative Efforts for a Brighter Future
By focusing on early intervention, expanding community-based services, and investing in workforce development, we are laying the foundation for a more responsive, compassionate and, ultimately, more cost effective, mental health care system. The goal is a system of proactive, holistic care that does not wait for a crisis to engage but places the individual and their needs at the center so that when they are ready for and in need of community mental health treatment, the door is open and services available as soon as possible.
When Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, the work continues. And, Florida’s hospitals will be leading the way, not only providing care but engaging state leadership and community-based organizations to promote an integrated, collaborative local approach to providing timely behavioral health care for every Floridian who needs it.