Behavioral Health Board advances

The Miami-Dade Community Health Committee on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance proposed in November by Commissioner René Garcia to create a Miami-Dade County Behavioral Health Advisory Board to develop a needs assessment of behavioral health services and monitor a new behavioral health center that is about to open.

The 21-member volunteer board (originally 13) also would advise commissioners on ordinances, policies and programming related to behavioral health, including on improving access to treatment.

Commissioner Garcia noted at Monday’s meeting that “there’s a lot of good people out there doing some really good work but, unfortunately … there’s a lot of duplication. Hopefully … we can start taking an inventory of everything that’s happening in Miami-Dade County.”

“A lot of us think that mental health is something very abstract,” Sen. Garcia said, “…but know that every single one of us … is one crisis away from having a mental health breakdown.”

Miami Today reported in November that the new advisory board would “review and monitor the management and operations of all behavioral health centers owned, operated or under the control of Miami-Dade County,” including the yet-to-open Miami-Dade Behavioral Health Center at 2200 NW Second Ave., a new 150,000-square-foot, seven-story building that includes a receiving center, integrated crisis stabilization unit, residential treatment, outpatient behavioral health and primary care, and dental and optometric services.

The center’s development has been spearheaded by 11th Circuit Court Judge Steven Leifman, who told Miami Today last year that talks were ongoing with multiple providers to run various parts of the facility, including the short-term psychiatric wing, primary health care, podiatry, dental and eye-care services.

A supplement submitted with the ordinance notes that “there are no other county boards that are currently or would potentially provide direct oversight of county behavioral health programming. There is, however,” the supplement continues, “a semi-centralized system of service provision through the Florida Department of Children and Families’ contracting network of over 300 local providers through organizations such as “Thriving Minds of South Florida (TMSF), and of different professional boards which oversee complimentary professions and disciplines.”

An additional resolution by Commissioner Garcia would retroactively authorize a $1 million dollar contract to TMAF for “the provision of behavioral health services through the Miami-Dade County Central Receiving Facility.”

The supplement stressed that the behavioral advisory board will only be advisory in nature and will not have any contracting authority. It “gives residents a direct and active role to assist public and private entities in addressing matters impacting residents in the county who are affected by behavioral health disorders,” the ordinance supplement explains.

“The goal … is to foster and coordinate systems that adequately connect residents, who may be facing a crisis, to access to quality behavioral health and substance use disorder services.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, classes of behavioral health disorders include anxiety disorders; depressive and other mood disorders; feeding and eating disorders; obsessive-compulsive and related disorders; schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders; trauma- and stress-related disorders; and self-medication disorders.

The ordinance moves on to the county commissioners for action. It would become effective 10 days after enactment.