Mental Health Strategy

A new direction is being pursued to expand mental health support within our organization. A common policy for all departments is being developed and it is based on the model from the Coral Springs' Fire/EMS Department. 

Due to Covid-19, onsite clinician response team is now serving all employee groups. 

A meeting was held with the steering committee during the last month.  A new set of priorities and next steps related to moving the BHAP model forward within the organization were identified.  Additional updates will be provided as ongoing priorities are accomplished.

The Commission will be briefed at the Summer Commission Retreat in July.

The policy for the Behavioral Health Access Program (BHAP) has been completed and ready for City Manager approval. This program has been expanded for all employee groups and the on-boarding of additional clinicians plus promoting more virtual training programs through EAP.  Finally, we are collaborating with a local rehabilitation service provider and CIGNA to explore creation of a smaller network which would enable employees to take advantage of their services and receive in-network coverage.

The City’s BHAP policy has been updated in preparation to expand the model for all employee groups during the next three months. During the month of September, weekly programs were offered to increase employee awareness on the topic of suicide prevention.  Ongoing meetings with the mental wellbeing steering committee will be scheduled for senior leaders to support the momentum of the BHAP implementation going forward.