As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, there is an urgent need to focus on mental health advocacy. Seeking treatment for a mental health disorder, whether it be a brain issue like depression or a physical issue like anorexia, self-harm or bulimia, has long been seen as a stigma.
Without proper treatment, individuals can spiral into chaos and deteriorate far beyond what preventative treatment can address. Preventative treatment helps address the root causes of mental health issues long before reactive treatment can. When an individual’s mental health deteriorates and their primary provider is the local police, they are very likely to fall into a vicious cycle of receiving public mental health services.
That’s a key reason why I’ve focused on children’s mental health since being elected to the Florida House of Representatives: If we can address these issues at a young age and provide preventative care, we can keep many children healthier.
Some progress has been made, but there is still much to be done
Over the past eight legislative sessions, I have introduced, passed, and signed into law five mental health bills by two governors. In 2017, I passed House Bill 1183, which established the Baker Act Task Force to study the application of the Baker Act to minors, particularly children who are referred for medical evaluations by school officials. The Task Force met for six months and submitted a list of recommendations to the Florida Legislature.
In 2019, I introduced bills based on some of the Task Force recommendations: HB 361 and HB 363. Both were enacted. I followed that up in 2020 with HB 945, which would require the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration to identify children who frequently utilize crisis stabilization services and meet their behavioral health needs. The bill also created protocols for Mobile Response Teams (MRT) for mitigation of behavioral health events in schools, a measure that was praised in the report of the statewide grand jury evaluating Florida’s mental health framework.
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In 2023, I introduced and passed HB 829, which would require the Department of Children and Families to update and maintain important information resources to help law enforcement officers, school administrators, clinicians, facility directors, and others who enforce the Baker Act understand the law and act correctly. This legislation helps ensure that people who truly need treatment can get it while protecting individual liberties.
Last session, my last due to term limits, I introduced HB 951, and I am proud to have amended all substantive elements of this bill to become HB 7021, a comprehensive mental health bill. The amended language would require law enforcement officials to provide parents or guardians with the name, address, and contact information of facilities in the designated intake system to which they will transport minors for mental health evaluations. It would also create the Office of the Child Behavioral Health Ombudsman as a central point of contact to receive complaints on behalf of children and youth with behavioral health disorders who receive state-funded services. This information will be used to improve mental health treatment for children and youth.
There is still much work to be done. I would like to see mental health professionals in every school in our state. Mental health issues don’t start in high school; they build up over time. If we can address these issues at a younger age, everyone benefits.
I would also like to see the creation of an Office of Mental Health, so that all mental health services are centralized, rather than under the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health Care Administration, or the Department of Health. Sometimes agencies are not aligned, and their ability to provide services is compromised. I want to continue to work to improve the safety net for the many children who slip through the cracks.
David Silvers is a Democrat representing the 89th District in the Florida House of Representatives.
