BROOKSVILLE — BayCare Behavioral Health is about to move forward with an urgent family care program funded with a special $150,000 state allocation.
The program is designed to provide mental health resources that otherwise would be unavailable to young people and their families in Hernando County. The goal is to aggressively attack mental health issues early in order to stave off more serious problems later.
The program, modeled after a similar effort that began in 2013 in Pasco County, will provide two case managers to work through the schools and in homes. They will help children and their families navigate through urgent behavior health care support options and other community resources.
Doug Leonardo, BayCare's executive director, likens the program to getting to the family doctor when your only symptom is a sore throat rather than waiting until full-blown pneumonia and a required visit to the emergency room.
"It seems to us that if we could do a better job early on screening, assessing, identifying issues that are present but not yet of such an extreme nature that they require deeper-end services or the involvement of law enforcement or others, doesn't that just make good sense?'' Leonardo said.
Over the past two years, local health care professionals have been meeting to discuss the void of services available locally to meet the mental health needs of Hernando youth. He said this program addresses some of those needs.
While the hiring process for those case managers has just begun, BayCare has been busy building relationships at schools where there have been special risk factors or the highest number of referrals, said Sandra Marrero, clinical manager for BayCare.
A small pilot project was put in place at Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics in the 2013-14 school year.
"We saw the need in the community,'' Marrero said.
Middle schools are the focus because that is where the greatest need exists, she said.
Two support groups were formed at the school in 2013 and a third was requested. They dealt with issues such as teaching social skills, coping mechanisms and emotional regulation issues.
Marrero said she has also worked closely with administrators and with guidance counselors who wanted more training so they can better recognize issues.
Leonardo praised Hernando superintendent Lori Romano, who "has opened the doors literally to let us come into the schools.'' With strong support from the School District, case managers will be able to identify children who might have mental health issues and also find out about their lives at home.
"The majority of these kids are in family situations where the dynamics are such that it's creating the challenges for the kids or they have had to adapt to coping styles we would not choose for them, but that's how they survive,'' he said. "So if we can affect the parents, the caregivers, we can have a much better outcome for the kids.''
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Explore all your optionsIn addition to the case managers and mental health services, money from the special allocation will be used for training. One of the courses is a mental health first-aid course. As Leonardo describes it, "it's kind of like CPR'' to give people who might have contact with someone escalating toward a mental health emergency ''enough tools to help keep somebody safe until the professionals get there.''
Leonardo also had praise for state Sen. Wilton Simpson, who pushed for the initial funding for the urgent family care program. He hopes to gather information about the services the program provides to the community in order to help persuade the state to provide ongoing funding for the effort.
Leonardo said the work that the mental health officials will be able to accomplish through the program will improve the lives of the people they influence.
"People shouldn't have to spend their entire life in treatment,'' he said. "If you can provide that earlier on, then they can go about the business of living what we would call a normal life, having solid relationships, a good job, going to school and not always having this hanging over their heads because a lot of times if you can address this early on, they never become big problems.''
Contact Barbara Behrendt at bbehrendt@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1434.