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Great opportunities for mental health

Florida Times Union - 4/5/2014

What would mental health look like in Jacksonville if funding was among the best in America - and not among the worst?

That question was raised during a recent meeting of the Jacksonville Community Council Inc.'s study group on mental health.

It spoke volumes about the work that still needs to be done in Jacksonvile.

If mental health were properly funded here, there would a range of options for treatment depending on the symptoms and the needs of the patient.

There would be a ladder of care, ranging from prevention to hospitalization. People could move up and down the treatment ladder as their recovery warranted.

There would be less waiting while symptoms worsen.

Treatment would be less expensive because it would be more focused on a patient's needs.

Right now we have the worst of all worlds.

Limited funding means care often takes place in a crisis. Treating patients in jail or hospitals is the most expensive form of care. At best, it just stabilizes the patient.

What happens after release? Often not enough. Patients - or more commonly their family - struggle to find the right treatment.

Tina St. Clair, executive director of LSF Health Systems, told the JCCI study group that we must find creative new ways to develop services for mental health.

She dispelled the notion that Duval County is rock bottom when it comes to mental health funding. It's only near the bottom, St. Clair said.

Small consolation.

The fact is, state funding for mental health has a multiplier effect. It shows a state is interested and invested. And federal funding often depends on matching funds.

There was no significant request for increase to mental health funding from the governor, St. Clair said.

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Duval County Public Schools, said recurring funding is needed. Grants only go so far, and then they go away.

Vitti listed mental health care as one of the school district's three major challenges, along with recruiting and retaining good people and improving technology.

"It is very difficult to talk about mental health in the realm of public education," Vitti said. Mental health wraps itself around safety, discipline and student focus. There are links to home and community that intrude into school.

"We are not funded or built to provide the kinds of services that kids deserve," Vitti said.

The district needs more social workers, psychologists and guidance counselors.

And Vitti is also concerned about the mental health of some district employees.

Parental education is needed, too, he said. Parents sometimes need to recognize that they might need care. There are cultural factors that impede diagnosis and treatment.

Funding alone isn't the answer, of course.

We need a network of care in order to spend the money wisely.

Jacksonville is currently building such a network for pediatric mental health - thanks to a federal government grant.POWER OF PHILANTHROPY

In fact, on the same day as the JCCI study session, a federal mental health expert spoke to a gathering of the Women's Giving Alliance. This influential group has made mental health one of its funding priorities.

Gary Blau says mental illness affects everyone. No person is more than two degrees of separation from a mental health issue via a family member or friend.

Blau is an expert with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

He appeared in Jacksonville to encourage the city's efforts to create its pediatric mental health care system. It's work that's been quietly building for years, thanks largely to the leadership of pediatrician Jeff Goldhagen.

Blau said a system of care builds partnerships, focuses on the cultural needs of families and fits the special needs of individual communities.

This system can work to improve the lives of children with serious challenges.School attendance and grades can be improved. Confrontations with law enforcement can be reduced. And time spent in hospitals can be cut.

Though Jacksonville seems far behind the rest of the nation in funding mental health care, this county has great potential in its collaborative spirit.

Blau told the Women's Giving Alliance that philanthropy can often be mobilized for mental health care.

Jacksonville, he said, could be a national leader in adding philanthropy to a mental health system that someday won't be minimized, compartmentalized and stigmatized.

Great opportunities await.FAST FACTSPsychiatric beds in the U.S.: 40,000Seventy years ago: 600,000Source: Wall Street JournalFAMILY SUPPORT GROUPNAMI Jacksonville, the local affiliate of the National Affiliate on Mental Illness, offers training sessions:Peer to Peer: Mentors and a volunteer support person who are available to offer resources and skills.Family Support Group: Confidential sessions for those with family members or friends with mental illness.Family to Family: Free 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with mental illness.Contacts: (904) 724-7782, NAMIJAX@comcast.net