November 14, 2007

Transforming Florida's Mental Health System: Constructing a Comprehensive & Competent Criminal Justice/Mental Health/Substance Abuse Treatment System

The Florida Supreme Court Mental Health Subcommittee urged the state to minimize the number of people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system by creating a statewide mental health system of care that ensures adequate access to appropriate prevention and treatment services. The proposed system includes:

• Programs for adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances

• Multi-tiered level of care classification system that targets individuals at highest risk of institutional involvement in the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and state mental health system

• Adequate services in times of acute need when the individual is most at risk of entering institutional care in order to optimize the use of state resources

• Creation of a statewide system of limited enrollment Integrated Specialty Care Networks under a newly authorized Medicaid state plan option targeting home and community-based services

• Partnership between the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to maximize funding streams and opportunities for individuals

The Mental Health Subcommittee recommended that changes to the system be implemented over a six-year period to allow time for infrastructure development. In addition, the Mental Health Subcommittee believes that a Statewide Leadership Group should be established to provide administrative oversight and facilitate technical assistance in developing state and local plans. Funding for the new programs would come from expansion of the Criminal Justice/Mental Health/ Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Program and from implementing strategies to maximize enrollment in Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance.