By: Chance Dorland
Starting in July, Florida students and families
will receive more information on the mental health services they are entitled
to.
Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, served as the mayor of Parkland during
the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, where 17 students were killed. She
said her time as mayor influenced her decision to sponsor House Bill 899.
"If a student is receiving behavioral health services in the school, the school
is then required to let their family and/or caregivers know about the services
that are available to the family and caregivers, both at the school and in the
community," Hunschofsky outlined.
The measure was signed into law last week. Florida and the rest of the nation
continue to observe National
Mental Health Month during May, as they have for seventy years.
This year, the observation comes as schools and families grapple with the COVID
lockdowns and the threat of mass shootings. Hunschofsky argued more needs to be
done to provide mental health services to all Floridians, as well as a change
of attitude toward mental health.
"We've seen the toll the pandemic and just life has taken on the mental
health of so many," Hunschofsky noted. "It's always interesting to me
that people separate mental health from physical health. And they're incredibly
interconnected."
Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare employer and
individual, said southern states often have much less access to mental health
services.
"In New England, those states have a tendency to have very high numbers of
licensed mental health care professionals per capita, and in the Southeast, we
see lower," Randall pointed out. "In fact, in some states, that can
be a sevenfold difference."
Last year, the Florida legislature created a Commission
on Mental Health and Substance Abuse to examine how the
Sunshine State provides mental health and substance abuse services. It expects
to make recommendations to lawmakers.
Content for this Post is provided by Florida News
Connection, a Bureau of Public News Service.
Public News Service is a member of the The Trust Project.
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