St. Lucie RISE – Mental Health Collaborative
The Roundtable of St. Lucie County has been awarded the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnership for Success Grant (SPF-PFS) for $375,000 per year for 5 years through 2028 to launch the St. Lucie RISE Mental Health Collaborative under its umbrella. The purpose of this grant program is to help communities work collaboratively to reduce the onset and progression of substance misuse and its related problems by supporting the development and delivery of community substance misuse prevention and mental health promotion services. The SPF-PFS program is grounded in the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), a data-driven community engagement model grounded in public health principles focused on providing evidence-based services to high-risk and underserved communities. Consistent with the Roundtable’s mission, this grant will enhance our mission to sustain a team of county and business leaders who mobilize resources to improve the education, health, safety, nutrition, and care of all children in St. Lucie County.
CURRENT DATA
28.6%
“Sometimes I think that life is not worth it.”
has increased from 25.2% in 2018 to 32.4% in 2022, as reported by SLC middle & high school students.
19.5%
“At times I think I am no good at all.”
has increased from 34.3% in 2018 to 41.% in 2022 as reported by SLC middle & high school students.
36.5%
“All in all, I think I am no good at all.”
has increased from 23% in 2018 to 41% in 2022 as reported by SLC middle & high school students.
33.5%
“Thought about committing suicide in the past 12 months.”
In 2022, 33.5% of SLC middle & high school students reported they had thought about suicide.
7.9%
“Attempted suicide in the past 12 months.”
In 2022, 7.9% of SLC middle & high school students reported they had attempted suicide.
Local Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Strategies
Designed to strengthen our community-level prevention capacity to identify and respond to local substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion priorities for high-risk and underserved communities, the St. Lucie RISE Strategic Prevention Partnership is a county-wide initiative designed to implement a comprehensive mix of evidenced-based prevention approaches and services that align with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) expectations to implement high-quality programs, practices, and policies that are recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and equity-based as a means of improving behavioral health in St. Lucie County. Our partner agencies and collaboratives, businesses, and community advocates will work collectively to address root causes that lead to increased risk for youth substance misuse and mental health challenges. This funding will specifically be utilized to establish a Mental Health Collaborative, made up of community stakeholders, to identify and respond to ongoing behavioral health needs for our community and to oversee the delivery of community-wide Teen Mental Health First-Aid training, support the development of Pediatric Integrated Care access through primary care providers, support the delivery of Functional Family Therapy to underserved communities, and to promote community-wide trauma-informed care approaches. In addition, funding will provide additional support to Drug Free St. Lucie currently funded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Center for Disease Control, to expand its substance abuse prevention efforts through the implementation of youth-led Social Norms and Mental Health awareness campaigns. Under the umbrella of the Roundtable, the Mental Health Collaborative and Drug Free St. Lucie will be a force multiplier to improve behavioral health outcomes for youth and families in our community.
Want more information about joining the Mental Health Collaborative?
Please email completed form to Shamra Gilles, Mental Health Collaborative Coordinator at SGilles@RoundtableSLC.org
The St. Lucie RISE Mental Health Collaborative meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 1:00 pm at the Health Department at 5150 NW Milner Drive in Port St. Lucie, FL.
Approach
Substance misuse, mental health challenges, and related problems threaten the success of youth and families in our community. St. Lucie RISE Strategic Prevention Partnership (St. Lucie RISE) provides an opportunity for community stakeholders to work collectively to improve outcomes for high-risk and underserved communities facing behavioral health problems. St. Lucie RISE is comprised of Drug Free St. Lucie and the Roundtable’s newly established Mental Health Collaborative that will serve as the infrastructure to expand our county’s capacity to address the behavioral health needs of youth and families in St. Lucie. While Drug Free St. Lucie will continue to expand its substance misuse prevention efforts through this initiative, the Mental Health Collaborative will be laser-focused on mental health promotion and strategies. Similar to Drug Free St. Lucie, the Mental Health Collaborative will utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework for ongoing assessment, capacity building, planning, implementation, and evaluation of our community’s efforts to address mental health and effectively serve high-risk and underserved communities in a sustainable and culturally competent manner.
Teen Mental Health First-Aid
St. Lucie RISE Strategic Prevention Partnership is partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of St. Lucie and Youth Leadership St. Lucie to provide Teen Mental Health First-Aid training. This evidence-based training will help to build a powerful community of teens ages 15-18 by teaching them how to support a friend or classmate. Adolescence is a time of critical change and development. It’s when mental health challenges may first emerge and may be the cause for falling grades, problems with close relationships, and substance use. Young people will be prepared to provide support for their peers as well as to better cope with mental health challenges themselves.
Pediatric Integrated Care
In partnership with the Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network, St. Lucie RISE will support the development of Pediatric Integrated Care with primary care providers in St. Lucie County. Pediatric Integrated Care is a healthcare model that aims to provide comprehensive and coordinated care to children and adolescents. It involves the integration of medical, behavioral, and social services to address the physical, emotional, and developmental needs of young patients. The goal is to improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and enhance the overall quality of care. This approach emphasizes the importance of early intervention, prevention, and family-centered care.
Functional Family Therapy
Through the St. Lucie RISE Strategic Prevention Partnership, the Roundtable partners with Cayuga Centers to provide Functional Family Therapy (FFT) to high-risk and underserved communities in St. Lucie County. FFT is a type of therapy that focuses on improving communication and problem-solving skills within a family unit. It is a short-term, evidence-based treatment that is often used to treat children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems. FFT aims to help families develop healthy patterns of interaction and communication, which can lead to better outcomes for the child or adolescent.