Florida Behavioral Health Impact Project is an innovative initiative by the Florida State College of Medicine’s Center for Behavioral Health Integration  and the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative. This program seeks to enhance accessibility of resources for women and children in need of mental health and substance use supports by providing a statewide directory of active and qualified maternal and pediatric behavioral health providers. The FBHIP is also part of a larger maternal mental health initiative. Within the state of Florida, efforts are underway to help strengthen knowledge related to maternal mental health and the services available throughout the state. 

The Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative is a statewide coalition of stakeholders throughout Florida coming together to address clinical, research, policy and educational needs related to improving maternal mental health. In addition to the resources provide via the FBHIP, First Lady Casey DeSantis is sponsoring Hope for Healing, a mental health and substance abuse resource guide that provides a list of agencies and healthcare providers to help Florida youth and families address issues of mental health and substance abuse. In 2018, the Florida Families First Act was proposed and signed into law. The Florida Families First Act requires the Florida Department of Health maintain a toll-free hotline for perinatal mental health care, which allows callers to seek individual support and guidance related to mental health concerns. The hotline also provides support for healthcare providers looking to expand their postpartum evaluation and follow-up care related to women’s mental health needs. Florida’s Annual Perinatal Mental Health Conference was established in 2015 to enhance opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, advocacy, and training surrounding perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

To read more about the team, click here.