Putting Together a Brighter Future for Mental Health in Northeast Florida
More people today – from your closest friends and family to your unhoused neighbors down the street – are battling mental health crises at epidemic rates. What began as an upward trend spiked to historic levels in Northeast Florida as people of all ages and stages contended with the social, mental and emotional ravages of the pandemic. The result? We are a stressed community seeking help to move forward – and local nonprofits are on the frontlines, mitigating a rash of newly revealed needs.
“The COVID pandemic paradoxically had the lasting, positive effect of substantially lifting the dark curtain of stigma on mental illness,” said Vance Meyer, president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Jacksonville. “That’s because so many people, unfortunately, experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression due to fear, stress, isolation, and more.”
An overwhelming majority of the public – 90% – think there is a mental health crisis in the U.S. today, according to an October 2022 KPP/CNN Mental Health in America study, with the opioid epidemic, mental health issues in children and teenagers, and severe mental illness topping the list. For parents, concerns about the long-term impacts of the pandemic also loom large with 47% of parents saying the pandemic had a negative impact on their child’s mental health.
At least 8 in 10 parents are worried about depression, alcohol or drugs, or anxiety impacting teenagers in the U.S., while around 7 in 10 are worried that self-harm, loneliness stemming from the pandemic, or eating disorders may negatively impact teenage children.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. is living with mental illness and 1 in 25 adults have a serious mental illness like schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or major depression. CDC data also shows that 1 in 5 young people ages 13 to 18 have or have had a seriously debilitating mental illness. Mental health leaders underscore the fact that mental illness is not discriminating – it affects people in all demographics, locations and life circumstances. In Duval and Clay counties alone, more than 200,000 adults are struggling with this disease, according to NAMI Jacksonville.
The Pieces
“For a visual image of the prevalence of mental illness across age groups, it helps me to picture a sold-out Jags game with roughly 10,000 to 15,000 people in the crowd who are living with mental illness – severe in many cases,” Meyer said.
The stadium is filled with people like:
- The 12-year-old boy local law enforcement helped place in Jacksonville’s Youth Crisis Center residential program during a hurricane last year. His mother left him at the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Jacksonville while she got intoxicated on the start of their journey to a new life in South Florida, according to Youth Crisis Center CEO Kim Sirdevan. This heightened degree of abandonment and instability resulted in severe mental distress.
- Nicole, who was referred to The LJD Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS)’s High Risk Newborns program when a Department of Children and Family/Family Assessment Support Team case was opened due to child abuse and neglect. When beginning services, she was very guarded and closed off. She was confused as to why she was charged when her husband admitted to “whopping” her oldest child. Nicole was experiencing depression and anxiety as she learned she was being let go from the U.S. Navy and was unsure how she would support her family. She was angry at her husband, did not trust him, and felt she could not stay in her marriage.
- A brother who admitted to his sister that he was having thoughts of suicide but never articulated them until she asked directly, per the directions on the Hearts4Minds’ Dragonfly Card she carried with her.
- A veteran suffering from PTSD and depression who is unable to work any longer.
- A new mom experiencing post-partum depression and anxiety handling the rigors of motherhood who made her first visit to the The Motherhood Space Day Program, located in the Baptist Healthy Living Center at the Winston Family YMCA, last week.
- Sarah, a local woman grieving the tragic and untimely death of her brother and was experiencing severe trauma before encountering her “greatest gift” – a relationship with the Neptune Beach-based nonprofit, Here Tomorrow.
- An elderly First Coast YMCA member who recently lost her 97-year-old husband after being married to him for 67 years. She said if it wasn’t for the YMCA, she wouldn’t have known where to turn. She’s now using a fellow member as her emergency contact because she doesn’t have any family members to count on locally.
- Jack, the son of JACK – Mental Health Advocacy – Out of the Box founder Kim Vincenty, who has struggled with OCD for more than 20 years and is now a therapist helping others with their mental health challenges. He has fought valiantly and done the work necessary to recover and live a value-filled life.
- A local mother in her 30s who was staying in shelters and with friends and family with her 5-year-old son. Though she had serious mental health issues that she wanted to treat, she found it difficult to make appointments and stay on her medications as she was so often forced to relocate. She started seeing a psychiatrist at Sulzbacher, which referred her to therapy for her extensive trauma history and also case management. The case manager was able to access a housing program that would house this mother and her son.
- An elderly man struggling with alcohol-induced dementia, declining finances, increasing needs and the recent death of a loved one.
- A student bullied on social media for his sexual identity who considered thoughts of suicide and self-harm until he found help through JASMYN’s young adult programs like the Free Your Mind drop-in mental health program for the LGBTQ+ community.
The Puzzle
A veteran suffering from PTSD and depression who is unable to work any longer.
A new mom experiencing post-partum depression and anxiety handling the rigors of motherhood who made her first visit to the The Motherhood Space Day Program, located in the Baptist Healthy Living Center at the Winston Family YMCA, last week.
Sarah, a local woman grieving the tragic and untimely death of her brother and was experiencing severe trauma before encountering her “greatest gift” – a relationship with the Neptune Beach-based nonprofit, Here Tomorrow.
An elderly First Coast YMCA member who recently lost her 97-year-old husband after being married to him for 67 years. She said if it wasn’t for the YMCA, she wouldn’t have known where to turn. She’s now using a fellow member as her emergency contact because she doesn’t have any family members to count on locally.
Jack, the son of JACK – Mental Health Advocacy – Out of the Box founder Kim Vincenty, who has struggled with OCD for more than 20 years and is now a therapist helping others with their mental health challenges. He has fought valiantly and done the work necessary to recover and live a value-filled life.
A local mother in her 30s who was staying in shelters and with friends and family with her 5-year-old son. Though she had serious mental health issues that she wanted to treat, she found it difficult to make appointments and stay on her medications as she was so often forced to relocate. She started seeing a psychiatrist at Sulzbacher, which referred her to therapy for her extensive trauma history and also case management. The case manager was able to access a housing program that would house this mother and her son.
An elderly man struggling with alcohol-induced dementia, declining finances, increasing needs and the recent death of a loved one.
A student bullied on social media for his sexual identity who considered thoughts of suicide and self-harm until he found help through JASMYN’s young adult programs like the Free Your Mind drop-in mental health program for the LGBTQ+ community.
There are similar implications for maternal mental health, which also is a persistent challenge across the country and in our communities. According to Baptist’s Motherhood Space Day program, as many as 1 in 5 women will experience a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder during pregnancy or postpartum. These challenges are even more common for women of color, affecting as many as 1 in 3.
The Parts
No doubt there are many pieces – large and small, jagged and smooth, obvious and obscure – to the mental health puzzle in Northeast Florida and beyond. But what are local nonprofit organizations doing to assemble workable solutions? And what do they need to make it all fit together, to win this complicated fight against mental illness?
Northeast Florida is fortunate to have a talented team of professionals dedicated to the challenge. Huddled around the table studying the issues with great passion, Northeast Florida nonprofit leaders are committed to find solutions, formulate resources and develop plans for the various communities they serve.
Examples of this hard work are around every corner in the local nonprofit sector.
As part of Baptist Health’s commitment to meeting the health needs of the community and to support pregnant and new moms with perinatal or postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, known as PMADs, the hospital opened The Motherhood Space Day Program, an intensive outpatient program designed for those expecting a baby or who have had a baby in the past 18 months and could use additional support with PMADs, moderate to severe symptoms, or emotional challenges such as depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, panic or bipolar disorder.
SNAP®, which stands for STOP NOW AND PLAN, is an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral model powered by the minds at Child Development Institute (CDI). SNAP® helps troubled children and their parents learn how to effectively manage their emotions and ‘keep problems small’.
The SNAP® program is designed for children ages 6-11 who are engaging in aggressive, anti-social behavior and/or have come into contact with authority figures at school or in the community. Experienced and highly trained staff work with each family to assess challenges and problems and develop an action plan.
With an emphasis on wellness rather than illness, the day program was designed to provide the care and resources mothers experiencing mental health conditions need most and to address many of the barriers that could prevent them from seeking support, such as childcare or transportation. Participants attend three days per week, typically for up to three weeks, and engage in a comprehensive menu of group therapy sessions, mommy-and-me yoga sessions and walking therapy designed to boost their emotional well-being. The Motherhood Space’s director, psychologist Julia Garrett, also trains providers throughout Northeast Florida on PMADs, symptoms to look for and how to refer patients to the day program. More than 300 providers have received training thus far.
Veterans in our area also suffer greatly from mental health disorders. A thriving military town, Northeast Florida is home to 160,000 military veterans. In 2019, the counties of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns lost 78 veterans to suicide – the highest annual count yet recorded. Five Star Veterans Center, a nonprofit organization in Jacksonville, is helping bridge the gap by starting with basics, like transitional housing and wrap-around services for veterans in crisis. It also offers, free mental wellness programs by licensed counselors to serve veterans dealing with the hidden scars of battle like PTSD, TBIs and other mental and emotional health traumas. Another local nonprofit, The Fire Watch, also helps identify the warning signs of veteran suicide and directs veterans to the help they need.
Mental health is a component of all the social services provided by JFCS, which also is launching a new program thanks to a new federal grant. A few examples of the nonprofit’s programs that feature mental health components are: its Senior Services program, which includes counseling for Holocaust survivors and senior clients; the Full Service Schools program, which provides in-school counseling for students that are experiencing difficulties in the classroom or at home at a number of Duval County Public Schools; counseling, as part of the organization’s financial assistance program if there are mental health issues contributing to our client’s financial struggle; counseling to foster care children served by the organization who have experienced severe trauma; and counseling provision to families referred to the organization by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Additional financial support is helping JFCS reach and serve more local people in need.
JFCS recently was awarded federal mental health funding in the amount of more than $796,000 annually for five years. This transformative funding from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) will support a new initiative called Project LAUNCH, a community-based program modeled after the existing High-Risk Newborn program. Project LAUNCH aims to establish crucial partnerships with local hospitals, pediatricians and childcare providers. The goal is to be an invaluable resource for at-risk families, helping strengthen early childhood wellness, centered around mental health.
“Educating physicians on how to recognize the signs of mental illness and link families with resources in the community, working hand in hand with child care providers who often do not have the needed mental health staff to support their students, and partnering with families as they transition their children into elementary school is invaluable. Some of the most critical brain development occurs before a child’s fifth birthday. If we can intervene and put strong supports in place, we can change the life trajectory for our kids who had the potential to be put on a very negative path early on,” said JFCS CEO Colleen Rodriguez. “JFCS will be spearheading an integrated system of care for early childhood wellness, centered around mental health. By blending these services with JFCS wraparound services such as emergency financial assistance, the Max Block Food Pantry, the Fanny Landwirth Clothes Closet, in-home abuse prevention services and case management, JFCS can help strengthen and stabilize at-risk families and keep children safe.”
NAMI Jacksonville offers three essential components of the mental health system in the Northeast Florida community — education, support and advocacy. This includes presentations in schools, organizations and businesses; support groups for people living with mental illness, including their families; a helpline for people who need assistance finding resources; and continuous communication with civic and state leaders regarding mental health challenges that are addressed or created by public policies.
“Everything we offer is free. And most of what we offer is carried out by about 75 trained volunteers and a very small staff,” said local NAMI head Meyer. “We bring a lot of inherent strengths into Jacksonville because we are part of a national organization that has pioneered education, support and advocacy programming. Our staff and volunteers are trained in those proven methods.”
He said their client base is essentially all of Jacksonville. And that makes the repair and resolution of these issues a tall, tall order.
“Mental illness affects everyone in every demographic and socioeconomic group. In a big metropolitan area like Jacksonville, that means NAMI Jacksonville ideally should be everywhere in the community, all the time,” Meyer said. “That’s a huge challenge.”
The Youth Crisis Center is hiring four new therapists thanks to a recent grant. Those therapists will go into assigned Head Start Schools where they will be resources to the school and be in the classroom with the teachers, playing a supportive role in the classroom where they can immediately address mental and other challenges onsite.
Hearts 4 Minds provides many resources and projects that help build solutions to change the mental health narrative, disrupt the status quo, and help people maneuver through treatment successfully. In addition to the Dragonfly Card program, the organization also has launched local Murals with Meaning projects – including one on the side of the Bank of America building in San Marco Square. Other initiatives include:
- The Dragonfly Care Coordinator program: Navigating any crisis alone is difficult. Hearts 4 Minds created a special role called a Dragonfly Care Coordinator to fill the gap and partnered with Baptist Health to implement it. The Dragonfly Care Coordinator helps families navigate the often-complex journey to treat mental health disorders by providing adequate information and connecting with providers throughout our community to ensure the demand for mental health providers is met.
- Resources Page: The organization has compiled a robust list of resources for those who live in Northeast Florida, as well as national resources. Hearts 4 Minds continuously adds to its resource list so people can make connections in an easy, understandable manner. The nonprofit also maintains a 24/7 crisis text line in partnership with a national platform to ensure people have access to a trained crisis counselor at any time.
- Murals with Meaning: The group uses art to promote conversation, encourage story-telling and simply enhance community neighborhoods. Every mural is coupled with a QR code to take people seamlessly to the group’s website and information. The nonprofit has commissioned 12 murals around Jacksonville.
- QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) Certification: The group offers training to organizations, individuals and corporations. By providing action steps, people can recognize the subtle signs of someone struggling and prevent suicide.
- Mental Health Workshops: Organization leaders teach numerous Mental Health Workshops to educate coaches, teachers and students on how to recognize signs of mental health, as well as how to properly respond when someone is in distress.
Here Tomorrow has been busy in recent months. Last fall, the group started a first responder and military program that has grown to five certified peers: four Veterans and one retired law enforcement officer. They serve on the front lines of mental health care, breaking barriers and stigmas that often envelop military and law enforcement members who are struggling internally. This fall, Here Tomorrow will launch a teen program in a dedicated building on its campus to directly address staggering statistics among Duval County high school students. According to a 2021 CDC survey, 26.1% considered, 21.4% planned and 16% attempted suicide – well above the national averages.
Also on the horizon is an exciting partnership between Here Tomorrow and Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. Two certified peers from Here Tomorrow’s staff will work in Baptist’s inpatient behavioral health unit, providing peer support to individuals who are Baker-acted. Appropriate candidates will be enrolled in yearlong support from Here Tomorrow to reduce repeat Baker Acts and increase the odds of recovery.
JACK Mental Health is busy with its two-fold mission of: one, getting clinicians trained in underserved regions or populations; and two, bringing access to care, education and programming for those living with OCD. Some of the projects it has launched during the past year and a half include sponsoring the first Spanish Language Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) through the International OCD Foundation to train Spanish-speaking clinicians to treat OCD in Spanish-language countries or regions, sponsoring 26 clinicians and individuals living with OCD to attend ERP School (an online program), contributing to Project Heal, sending six eating-disorder specialists to attend ERP School because of the huge concurrence between OCD and eating disorders, and providing scholarships for clinicians and individuals with OCD to attend the International OCD Foundation’s annual conference. The organization works on myriad other projects as well.
The Big Picture Plan
As for what these organizations need to succeed? It’s a little bit of everything – and perhaps a lot of community thinking about ways residents can apply their own unique resources to the local mental health puzzle.
Colleen Bell, president of the Health Division at Sulzbacher, said she sees a need for more help in the area of substance abuse.
“We would love to have more resources grow our offerings for children and youth mental health, and to join the fight in the opioid epidemic by continuing to grow our substance use program,” Bell said. “We also would like more options for housing, as housing is healthcare. In the hierarchy of needs for many of our clients, stable, safe housing has a higher priority than medication or other medical interventions.”
Youth Crisis Center CEO Sirdevan said she feels her organization is well equipped to meet the needs of its clients, but overall, the city needs more therapists to help intervene in tough situations. She also sees an important area of opportunity in linking clients to dental, vision and medical care, as well as transportation.
“I’d like to see more links to these areas that are low or no cost – it’s a real struggle because dental care is so important,” Sirdevan said. “We do not have a waiting list and we try to stay on top of what our caseloads require, but there is a community need for more therapists. Also, transportation continues to be a hardship. We are trying to figure out a partnership with shared ride companies. It’s important we look at the whole person and find out where the mental illness starts.”
Connie Smith, Senior Director of Healthy Living, First Coast YMCA sums it up well.
“Many people don’t realize just how many resources are out there to help them live a healthy life, both physically and mentally,” Smith said. “We’re fortunate here in Northeast Florida to have so many organizations that are committed to our health and well-being, and we need the community to be aware that help is often just a phone call or short car ride away.”
by Susanna P. Barton
