FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 29, 2024
CONTACT: [email protected]
Tallahassee, Fla. – In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) held a webinar on Thursday, May 23, 2024, dedicated to raising awareness of the increasing demand for health care across the Sunshine State and highlighting the pathways available in Florida communities to address Floridians behavioral health care needs. Florida hospitals are committed to strengthening behavioral health care across the state to ensure Floridians receive the right care at the right time for the best possible outcome.
“As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, we recognize the demand for mental health care is rising exponentially along with our state’s growing population. We must continue advocating for solutions to expand access to the behavioral health care services Floridians need,” said Mary C. Mayhew, President and CEO of FHA. “Florida hospitals continue to engage state leadership and community-based organizations to promote an integrated, collaborative local approach to reach Floridians, ensuring they can access the behavioral health care treatment and support services they need to thrive.”
FHA’s Mental Health Pathways: Mental Health Awareness Month webinar featured insights from the work hospitals, key stakeholders and community leaders are doing to improve mental health care access and treatments within communities across the state. Notable efforts to advance mental health care highlighted in the webinar include the expansion of behavioral health mobile response teams championed in the 2024 Live Healthy legislation, investments in Baker Services for discharge planning to increase crisis beds and expand short-term residential treatment, the 988 suicide hotline, hospital behavioral health care services and school programs that promote mental health.
Erica Floyd Thomas, Assistant Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), highlighted several of the Florida Legislature’s investments in behavioral health, showcasing the success and the continued expansion of community-based mobile response teams in providing timely, appropriate behavioral health care services.
“Our mobile response teams are teams that are available to serve someone 24/7 a day and 365 days a year, and the goal is to help diffuse the crisis and to divert individuals from a Baker Act. The teams are designed to provide on-demand crisis services – this is done in the community, a home, a school or a workplace. One of the goals of that mobile response team is to make sure that individuals are able to be placed in the appropriate level of care,” said Erica Floyd Thomas. “Our diversion rate for the use of mobile response teams has been 82%, so 82% of the time, when deployed, individuals are able to remain safely in the environment where they are without having to be transported to a Baker Act receiving facility or go into inpatient services. This is essential because it's helped us as a state to be able to reduce our total footprint of our Baker Acts.”
Dr. Bishoy Kolta, a child and adult psychiatrist at Lakeland Regional Health (LRH), presented on the critical role hospitals play in ensuring timely and quality care for those experiencing a serious mental illness.
“We should always remember that early intervention, early identification is the key. We need to early identify – we need to have a system and to identify symptoms and signs of depression and anxiety and other mood disorders in children,” said Dr. Kolta. “Lakeland Regional health system is the second and busiest emergency department in the U.S. with 200,000 patients last year… We offer dual diagnosis, geriatrics also, and of course child and adolescent services as well. We are trying to expand actually, so we can offer the services to more kids.”
Carrie Zeisse, CEO of Tampa Bay Thrives, which is a mental health coalition and a local affiliate of Mental Health America, shared data gathered by Tampa Bay Thrives on various programs available for children and adults, and how hospitals can become more involved in their communities to help children and adults access appropriate behavioral health services. She also highlighted the organization’s school-based project, also known as wellness rooms, that provide a safe haven for students by students.
“Mental health is very important in schools, so our students need every opportunity to be successful academically,” said Carrie Zeisse. “Improving the sense of connection within the school is a way to support graduation rates and achievements.”
Kate’s Place Clubhouse Behavioral Health Care
This National Mental Health Awareness Month, FHA is highlighting a powerful testimony of the support wrap-around behavioral health care services. Person-centered care provided through wrap-around behavioral health care services can help Floridians of all ages thrive.
Another example of community-based services is Kate’s Place, a Clubhouse program established by Aspire Health Partners, Inc., a nonprofit behavioral health care organization. Kate’s Place Clubhouse, based in Orlando, is a supportive and restorative program that provides different wellness and self-esteem boosting programs, such as employment help, to promote community and encourage healthy lifestyles.
The Florida Hospital Association continues to convene hospitals, state agencies, health care providers, organizations and government leaders to expand access to mental health care for every person in the Sunshine State.
For more information about FHA’s efforts, please visit www.FHA.org.
ABOUT THE FHA
Founded in 1927, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) is the leading voice for health care in the State of Florida. Through representation and advocacy, education, and informational services, the Florida Hospital Association supports the mission of over 200 hospitals and health care systems to provide the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. Led by President and CEO Mary Mayhew, the Florida Hospital Association is located in Tallahassee and is governed by a Board of Trustees and officers elected by the member institutions.
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