Mental Health Summit Adds to Collaboration Necessary to Provoke Change

Think mental illness is something that only affects others? Think again. Start by glancing down the hall at your office where statistics indicate that one in every four people you see has some form of mental health issue.

The good news is that most mental illnesses can be managed effectively, and most people who experience mental health issues can recover with proper treatment and go on to lead normal and productive lives.

The bad news is that approximately 60% of adults with some form of mental disorder, and about one-half of youths ages 8-15, never get the diagnosis or treatment they need, too often leading to a host of more serious and sometimes life-threatening problems throughout their lives. Among the main reasons so many people fail to seek help are the high cost of care and repercussions from the insidious effects of the stigma society has attached to mental illness.

JCCI has been actively involved in looking at ways to improve the mental health system in Northeast Florida since embarking on a three-year project that began in January 2014 with an eight-month community inquiry called Unlocking the Pieces. A 100+-member Task Force of concerned volunteers have been working since the inquiry’s release in October to find effective ways to improve the mental health system in the region.

That group’s work was bolstered this week by a statewide Mental Health Summit hosted by MHA of Northeast Florida and held in Jacksonville on August 25-26. The first-ever Summit brought together more than 200 mental health professionals, advocates and concerned citizens throughout the state with the common goal of improving the lives of people living with mental illness.

The Summit began with a frank and honest panel discussion focused on a review of the 2015 Florida Legislative Session and a look ahead to the 2016 Session. Two Representatives from the Florida House were among the panelists, including Jacksonville’s Rep. Charles McBurney, who will reintroduce a bill he initiated this year that incorporates several sound components designed to help decriminalize mental illness.

During his remarks, Rep. McBurney urged advocates to continue the sector-wide collaboration that has resulted from the JCCI Mental Health project. “The JCCI report has galvanized support for mental health advocacy in the community,” he said.

The Summit’s keynote speakers included the Honorable Judge Steve Leifman (11th Judicial Court) and Dr. Michael DeLaHunt, Chief of Psychiatry at Nemours Children’s Clinic Jacksonville.

Judge Leifman addressed the intersection of mental illness with the criminal justice system, focusing on the impressive progress made under his leadership in Miami-Dade County over the last 15 years. Due largely to Judge Leifman’s passion and commitment, the archaic and inhumane system of treating inmates with mental illness in the Dade County Jail has been dismantled and replaced with a diversionary program that keeps these individuals out of the horrific conditions they previously experienced in jail and puts them on the track to recovery.

Dr. DeLaHunt, who served as a resource speaker during the JCCI Mental Health Inquiry, spoke about one of the major themes of day two of the Summit – the importance of integration of physical and mental healthcare. He too applauded the JCCI project, calling it a “phenomenal report that has brought the community together behind this important cause.”

A series of thought-provoking and important workshops over the Summit’s two days supplemented the panel discussion and keynote addresses. A wide range of topics were covered, including several hot-button issues that are part of the JCCI implementation team’s

work (e.g., creation of a Central Receiving Facility in Duval County; integrating physical and mental health; mental health and the homeless; children’s mental health and the role of schools; improving access to care via telebehavioral health; etc.).

The Summit concluded with attendees identifying a number of priorities they hope will frame a mental health legislative agenda for next year. MHA of Northeast Florida will condense the list into a manageable document to form the basis of MHA’s statewide advocacy agenda. Among the priorities mentioned were: prescribing privileges for ARNP’s; revisions to the 40-year-old Baker Act that prescribes the conditions under which an individual can be involuntarily committed to hospitalization; expansion of Medicaid; loan forgiveness for mental health professionals with student loans; etc.

From this person’s perspective, it would be hard to imagine how the Mental Health Summit could have been more successful. Huge kudos go to Denise Marzullo and her staff at MHA of Northeast Florida for coordinating an effort that expanded the collaborative spirit for mental health advancement fostered by the JCCI project. The Summit was enlightening, compelling and inspirational, leaving all who attended with a renewed optimism that positive system change is not only possible, but within our grasp.