“We’ve been serving children in St. Johns County for 30
years and we have a number of community services we
offer since moving to our new campus six years ago,”
said Reppin.
“In partnership with the school district and law
enforcement, if a child is experiencing a social or
behavioral crisis, our licensed mental health counselors
can actually respond to the hotline calls and go assess
the child and make a recommendation of whether
they do need to be Baker Acted or involuntarily
hospitalized,” she said.
Over 1,000 calls have been made to the 24-hour a day
mobile crisis response team in nearly five years and
have resulted in an 82% diversion rate, says Reppin.
“It’s so important for a child experiencing a crisis to
have a licensed mental health counselor available,” said
Reppin.
MCRT pictured left to right: Kathy Todd, Stephanie Billman,
Emmeline Hayes (Program Lead), Ambria Page, Hayne Steen
and Caige McAuliffe
“We also connect that child and their family to
resources, so we’re providing that wrap around care for
them as well. It’s really making sure that kids who are
experiencing a mental health crisis in St. Johns County are compiled by the University of South Florida, shows St.
Johns County with 906 involuntary Baker Act admissions,
getting the services that they need.”
with 18.87% of those being individuals under the age
of 18.
You can find out more information about St. Augustine
Youth Services, by visiting www.sayskids.org.
For those with more serious mental health issues that
require long-term care plans, the Florida Mental Health
Act or Baker Act, as it is commonly known, provides crisis
intervention and evaluation to prevent self-harm or harm
to others. In St. Johns County, Flagler Health+ is the only
certified receiving center.
The Florida Mental Health Act 2016-17 Annual Report,
Why Is This Important?
Identifying the root causes can be challenging, and Kelly
Battell, Director of Student Services for the St. Johns
County School District lists anxiety, depression and ADHD
or attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, among the
top mental health issues students face.
Mental Health America, previously known as the National
Mental Health Association, released alarming national
Flagler Health+ embodies
our commitment to
advancing the physical,
social, and economic
health of the communities
we serve. It’s about being
a true healthcare partner
Since 1889, Flagler
Hospital has cared for our
community, and now we are
expanding to become Flagler
Health+. Flagler Health+
is about becoming a true
care partner, dedicated to
advancing the physical,
social, and economic
health of the communities
we serve. We’re leading
the change in healthcare
with innovative solutions
to improve health, like
cost-efficient virtual visits,
mental health outreach,
and our new health villages
in MuraBella and Nocatee.
That’s the Power of +.
Connect with us at FlaglerHealth.org.
on life’s journey, providing
innovative care in new
places, and in new ways,
while reducing costs along
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