Mental health may be a greater concern today than it's ever been, yet many people say they lack the resources they need.
In Lee County, some people say there's a need for more mental health funding and awareness.
“We’re nowhere close to where we need to be on mental health funding,” said Tom Hayden, a former member of the Cape Coral City Council.
And some local residents agree.
Veronica Vega is 20 years old and lives in Southwest Florida. She's attending Louisiana State University as a psychology major.
During a recent visit to her Florida home, she had lots to say on the matter.
“Florida has been ranked as one of the bottom states to have proper mental health funding per capita so they’ve always had problems matching the need of the population,” Vega said. “I know they’ve tried some programs in schools, but they’re never really effective.”
Mental Health America listed Florida at No. 40 in their 2024 Access to Care Ranking, meaning Floridians have a severe lack of access to insurance coverage and mental health treatment.
“I think there could be more funding and focus toward mental health,” 19-year-old Kaylani Pusateri said. “It seems like people know it’s an issue, but should put more effort into developing resources to help.”
The resources that Lee County has are helpful, but they need to remain this way.
Michelle Sutherland is the executive administrator and director of outsourced operations at SalusCare, a Fort Myers-based nonprofit mental health and substance abuse service provider.
SalusCare participates in community events, and staff members often speak to civic groups about mental health resources.
SalusCare provides a full continuum of mental health and substance use disorder treatment for children and adults. Treatments include crisis stabilization units, detox units, outpatient therapy and psychiatry programs.
Sutherland explained the source of one problem: The cost of operations has grown exponentially, and some rates do not cover the costs of services.
Sutherland said SalusCare has experienced a 309% increase in property insurance over the past five years, a 60% increase in general liability insurance in the past five years, and a 30% increase in health insurance in the past three years.
Sutherland explained that Lee County is very supportive of SalusCare and its services. The county commission provides funding to SalusCare through a contract with the county's Department of Human & Veterans Services, and the county is required to match a portion of state funding.
This is not only good for the overall community, but also benefits the groups of individuals, such as veterans, who are shown to struggle most with mental health.
“Veterans definitely get the short end of the stick,” Vega said.
She pointed to other groups in need. “Obviously low-income people struggle to get access to mental health resources. Recent laws that have been passed at the state level have led a lot of students to being forcefully outed or left without proper medical care. LGBTQ+ youth are up to 40% more likely to experience mental health issues.”
But how does Lee plan to further improve mental health services, not only for these groups that need it most, but also for everyone?
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County helped create the county Community Health Improvement Plan. Priority area 1 aims to focus on mental health through two major goals.
First, it aims to raise awareness of local crisis resources through strategies such as creating media campaigns that provide guides for young people.
The second goal is to increase dialogue surrounding mental health challenges by organizing community outreach education events and providing training sessions.
This plan is supposed to be completed by 2027. But it's not certain that these efforts will be enough for the community in the long run.
Residents shared their suggestions on how they think mental health awareness and funding could be improved locally.
“They could develop more programs or put out resources for people to know where they can go for help,” Pusateri said.
These suggestions align closely with the goals of the Community Health Improvement Plan, and in the future, Lee County may see the goals become reality.
Vega had other ideas.
“Putting more time and effort into community outreach by partnering with nonprofits or even faith-based organizations to raise funds,” she said. “They could help increase provider access by adding incentives for mental health professionals to work with the underprivileged. They could put more effort into first responder and police training so when crisis situations occur they are better prepared to properly manage them. Honestly, the list goes on forever.”
Sutherland, of SalusCare, recommended pressing elected officials for more funding at the state and federal levels. But she also suggested Lee County should have a further centralization of services.
“It would allow those seeking treatment to access it more quickly and effectively,” Sutherland said.
Former Cape Coral council member Tom Hayden said the state is taking a harder look at mental health awareness and funding.
“It's slow to progress,” Hayden said. “But people are opening their eyes now to the issues that we have to face.”
But some in the mental health field suggest there may be a continual need for more awareness, no matter how far Lee County strives to improve it now.
“No amount of funding will ever be enough,” Sutherland said. “The needs of our community are growing, and we must work to eliminate the stigma around seeking help for behavioral health treatment.”
Brooke Bell is a Florida Gulf Coast University student majoring in journalism.
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