South Florida Jewish Family Services Organizations and Rep Mike Caruso.jpg
Alpert Jewish Family Services
Rales Jewish Family Services
Goodman Jewish Family Services
JCS of South Florida
Senator Jones and Representative Caruso First Collaborated in 2022 to Support Mental Health in South Florida; Over 6,200 Hours of Counseling Have Been Provided
WEST PALM BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES, October 2, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones and Florida State Representative Mike Caruso collaborated for the second consecutive year to secure $1.95 million in funding for affordable mental health services in South Florida.
• Specifically, $1.2 million was allocated to the Jewish Family Services (JFS) Affordable Behavioral Health Collaboration, which provides low-income individuals in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties with affordable access to behavioral health services to promote emotional well-being. The JFS Tri-County Collaboration includes Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service (Alpert JFS), Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (Rales JFS), Goodman Jewish Family Services (Goodman JFS), and Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS).
• An additional $750,000 in funding was allocated to the JFS Affordable Psychiatry Access Program, led by Alpert JFS and Rales JFS, which provides underinsured and uninsured residents of Palm Beach County with psychiatric services.
Representative Caruso and a representative from Senator Jones’ office joined the leaders of all four Tri-County Jewish Family Services organizations at a special event today in Boca Raton. Organization leadership present at the event included Danielle Hartman, President & CEO, Rales JFS; Marc Hopin, CEO, Alpert JFS; Randy Colman, CEO, Goodman JFS; and Miriam Singer, President & CEO, JCS of South Florida. A representative from the South Florida Behavioral Health Network was also present.
According to Mental Health America, Florida ranks 46th nationwide on access to mental health care. The study also noted that 838,000 Florida adults with mental illness and 146,000 youth with depression had unmet treatment needs. Despite these unmet needs, Florida’s per capita funding for behavioral health ranks in the bottom compared to the rest of the nation. A national healthcare company also recently reported that Florida ranks at the bottom in terms of access to psychiatric care, with only 49% of the documented need currently being met. In addition, the American Psychiatric Association has reported that there is a chronic shortage of psychiatrists.
In year one of the JFS Affordable Behavioral Health Collaboration, 6,278 hours of counseling, including evidenced-based, trauma-informed care provided by behavioral health professionals, were provided to 756 individuals who would otherwise not have been able to access care. This year’s additional funding will allow the JFS coalition to expand its reach by 20% and impact 420 additional residents with nearly 7,000 hours of service.
The JFS Affordable Psychiatry Access Program will enable up to 400 Palm Beach County residents to access affordable, quality psychiatric care more easily while bridging the gap between what they can afford to pay and the true cost of care.
“Mental health is not a partisan issue, it impacts everyone,” said Representative Mike Caruso. “We cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the problem because it is not going away, and I am more than grateful to these agencies for the hard work they do every single day.”
“I am so pleased to be a part of this tremendous coalition and help in any way I can,” said Senator Shevrin Jones. “It’s refreshing to see agencies come to us in the Legislature with innovative and progressive ways to address critical issues in our communities.”
“We are pleased to collaborate once again with our JFS partners for this Tri-County Mental Health initiative, which will provide our communities with much-needed affordable access to mental health care,” said Marc Hopin, CEO of Alpert JFS. “At Alpert JFS, we continue to see huge increases in people coming to us with mental health needs, many of whom, without our agency’s help, are unable to afford these services. Thanks to the support and advocacy of our legislative champions, our agency and its partners will be able to reach and respond to thousands of additional people experiencing a mental health crisis.”
“The impact of this funding will have a significant impact in providing affordable mental health services to residents in the Tri-County area who are experiencing emotional stress and trauma in their lives,” said Randy Colman, Goodman JFS. “At Goodman JFS, we are proud to partner with the Tri-County JFS group on this important and timely commitment to providing affordable mental health care. We are appreciative of the efforts of Senator Jones and Representative Caruso, as well as the other members of our state Legislature who supported this important bill.”
“Jewish Community Services provides a strong and resilient safety-net for residents of Miami Dade,” said Miriam Singer, President & CEO, JCS of South Florida. “We are grateful to Senator Jones and Representative Caruso for their admirable leadership and support in service to frail and vulnerable members of our South Florida community.”
“I want to thank our Legislative champions. We are so fortunate to have such strong advocates of our programs in the state Legislature that are once again committing to serve low-income and underprivileged individuals in South Florida,” said Danielle Hartman, President and CEO of Rales JFS. “These dollars will be life-changing for so many who would otherwise go without critical services.”
About Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service
Established in 1974, Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service is a nationally accredited service provider for children, adults, seniors, and Holocaust survivors. The non-profit, non-sectarian organization is a trusted leader, with a team of 130 highly skilled professionals delivering high-quality care to community members. Alpert JFS works to ensure the well-being of children and families, independence of older adults and quality-of-life for individuals with disabilities. For more information, visit www.alpertjfs.org or call via phone at 561-684-1991.
About Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County
Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Jewish Family Service Inc. of Broward County first opened its doors in 1962 to meet the counseling and support needs of the growing Jewish population in Broward County. As home to the second largest population of seniors in the country and a rapidly growing destination for families, JFS of Broward County expanded to meet the increasing social service needs of the growing South Florida population. With programs for seniors and the neurodivergent, information and referral services, emergency financial assistance, kosher food assistance, bereavement groups, and caregiver support, mental health counseling, and volunteer programs, Goodman JFS helps thousands of individuals and families who have nowhere else to turn. For the last 25 years, Goodman JFS has also been the primary provider of support to aging Holocaust survivors, serving nearly 1000 survivors annually, and nearly 750 survivors at any one time. JFS provides a wide array of services, including home care, cleaning, reparations assistance, emergency financial assistance, and socialization to an increasingly frail and elderly survivor population. Goodman JFS is one of the largest programs of its kind in the U.S. For more information, visit www.jfsbroward.org or call 954-370-2140.
About Jewish Community Services of South Florida
Since 1920, Jewish Community Services of South Florida, based on Jewish values, has remained true to its mission in providing a resilient safety-net of health and social services through a broad array of programs that promote, health, safety, and self-sufficiency. By collaborating with community partners, funders, hundreds of volunteers, sister organizations and local leaders, our team continuously strengthens its engagement and impact. Our professional team continues to provide healing and hope in serving the many layered needs of residents in our diverse and vibrant community. JCS is here for you. Learn more at https://jcsfl.org/.
About Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services
For 40 years, Rales JFS has provided help, hope and humanity through their comprehensive range of programs that serve people of all ages and beliefs. With locations in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, programs include food and financial assistance, affordable counseling and mental health services, senior services, programs for children and families, career and employment services and many volunteer opportunities. To learn more, visit www.ralesjfs.org or email info@ralesjfs.org.
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