A Manatee County mental health services organization says its team approach to helping emotionally disturbed children could be a model for the state, the Miami Herald reports.
The CEO of Manatee Glens’ Community Action Team told the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee it’s much cheaper than residential treatment programs, which can be as expensive as $350 a day. The team can dispatch services as they’re needed, which lets families of troubled children keep them at home.
The panel also heard from the Palm Beach County Sheriff, who wants $3 million to fund a violence prevention unit that would include a 24-hour hotline to report individuals who could harm themselves or others. As the Palm Beach Post reports, the program would include a team of deputies, mental health professionals and caseworkers who could begin a “low-key” approach to providing help for that person before violence occurs.