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Collier mental health program advocates talk strategy, need for aid

Naples Daily News - 6/7/2017

June 07--Substance abuse and mental health conditions are complex, and a web of programs exist in Collier County to address both, but the programs can't go far enough with limited resources.

That's one theme that ran through a nearly four-hour meeting Tuesday organized by Collier County Commissioner Andy Solis. Dozens of advocates -- from law enforcement officers to judges -- shared their experiences of how they try to keep afloat with increasing caseloads.

Another, more upbeat theme was how people in their respective organizations network.

That makes the local community a standout and a model in many ways because that level of networking does not exist in other communities, said Collier County Judge Janeice Martin. She oversees the three court diversion programs for drug users, individuals with mental health conditions and veterans.

Other examples of what makes Collier a model is its crisis intervention training of law enforcement officers and others to recognize people in crisis, and the drug court program.

"The collaboration is what is so powerful," Martin said. "We are positioned better than just about anyone in the country. We need to have the resources to do the work."

But more data is needed beyond what each organization collects to pursue a share of $2 million in available grants, Martin said.

Solis began meeting with mental health leaders about six weeks ago, and everyone was immediately on board.

The group includes the Collier County Sheriff's Office, NCH Healthcare System, the court system, the David Lawrence Center and other organizations. Solis also organized Tuesday's public meeting.

Solis said Tuesday's public forum was a starting point for a conversation for identifying and addressing what's needed to get a better handle on the growing mental health and substance abuse crisis.

When the mosquito-based Zika virus emerged last summer in parts of the state as a possible public emergency, a plan was put together, he said. But a local plan for addressing the widespread mental health and substance abuse crisis doesn't exist, he said.

Solis said he hopes to present a proposal soon to make programs in Collier work better. He couldn't say after Tuesday's session what might be in his proposal.

"Nobody is really coordinating all of the moving pieces in that chart," he said, referring to a flow chart of how the local agencies are linked. One idea might be to create an advisory panel, he said.

Collier government is providing $1.6 million this year in local dollars to the David Lawrence Center, the dominant nonprofit provider of mental health and substance abuse treatment for adults and children in Collier County.

Beyond that, the county's policy for decades has been to not fund social service agencies beyond state mandates, and that hands-off approach has been the source of considerable angst.

Although everyone recognizes additional resources are needed, what might be needed is better allocation of resources, Solis said. He focused Tuesday on identifying "bottlenecks" that jam the system of care.

"Improvement in one area that holds the whole thing back improves all of it," Solis said.

Tuesday's presentations from the Sheriff's Office and other agencies were loaded with statistics about the breadth of mental health and substance abuse in Collier County.

The David Lawrence Center, off Golden Gate Parkway in East Naples, has gone from 377 Baker Act referrals in 2006 to 1,336 referrals last year, said Scott Burgess, chief executive of the nonprofit center, referring to involuntarily detentions of individuals for assessment.

The 30-bed crisis stabilization unit, including eight beds are for children, operates at peak capacity or beyond, he said.

Collier Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said mental health and substance abuse is a public safety matter and is a top issue for his office's strategic planning.

Rambosk said 99 percent of jail inmates with mental health or substance abuse issues are released back into the community.

"One in 4 residents in our community have a mental health issue," he said. "If you look at the jail population, at least 1 in 4 of our inmates need mental health help."

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(c)2017 the Naples Daily News (Naples, Fla.)

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