Community Involvement

SEFBHN has spearheaded or has become involved in many community initiatives/activities for the purpose of improving the Behavioral Health Recovery-Oriented System of Care and improving access to services and supports that include, but are not limited to:

  • The Network Prevention Manager represents SEFBHN and Behavioral Health concerns as a Board member of the Circuit 15 Juvenile Justice Advisory Board.
  • The SEFBHN Director of Network Integrity and the SEFBHN Housing Specialist attend and participate in the Continuum of Care meetings in Circuits 15 & 19 which are geared at addressing homelessness issues in our community.
  • SEFBHN has taken a leadership role in the Palm Beach County Heroin Task Force (now known as The Opioid Task Force) that began meeting in May 2016. This initiative came about due to the alarmingly high rate of heroin and opioid overdose in Palm Beach County. The Task Force is composed of over forty representatives from multiple agencies including Law Enforcement, Fire Rescue, Behavioral Health Providers, Health Care District of Palm Beach County, the Criminal Justice Commission, and the Delray Drug Abuse Task Force.
  • SEFBHN staff support and participate in the Palm Beach County BeWellPBC campaign. This community collective impact approach is to transform behavioral health in Palm Beach County. BeWellPBC strives to create a community culture in which every person in Palm Beach County thrives because they feel empowered, hopeful, supported, and connected. To do this, individuals across all sectors will be engaged in the ongoing design and implementation including those with lived experience, caregivers and natural community supports.
  • SEFBHN is an active participant in the Birth to 22: United for Brighter Futures initiative. Birth to twenty-two is the alliance of community partners to affirm a whole child approach to this collaborative work, focusing on six domains of child and youth development: physical health, behavioral health, academic readiness, social/emotional well-being, career readiness, and connection and contribution to community and society.
  • SEFBHN staff support and participate in the Roundtable of St. Lucie County. The Roundtable of St. Lucie County brings together executive level community leaders – from the school system, law enforcement, government, social service agencies and more – to address obstacles and make a real, lasting difference in the lives of St. Lucie County children.
  • In collaboration with the Florida Department of Health, SEFBHN participates in School Health Advisory Committees. These county-specific committees promote health and academic success of our youth through collaboration and partnership.
  • SEFBHN shares data and expertise for Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans.
  • SEFBHN, in partnership with the Health Council of Southeast Florida (HCSEF) was recently a part of a statewide workgroup to create and develop both the Triennial Needs Assessment Report and the Cultural Health Disparities Survey. This Needs Assessment is intended to find gaps, barriers, strengths, and opportunities of improvement for our system of care. The Needs Assessment was administered to the community through surveys and focus groups from January to April 2022 and submitted as part of a statewide report in October 2022.
  • In order to coordinate services for youth served by more than one agency, SEFBHN staff participate on Interagency Local Review Teams in both Circuits 15 and 19. Other partners include Agency for Health Care Administration/Medicaid Managed Care Plans, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Children and Families, Community Based Care Organizations i.e., ChildNet and Communities Connected for Kids, Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice, Florida Department of Education and SEDNET (The Multiagency Network for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities), Florida Department of Health, Guardian Ad Litem’s Office and Office of Early Learning.
  • SEFBHN leads a High Fidelity Wraparound Initiative bringing implementation and sustainability region wide. SEFBHN provides collaborative system-level supports in establishing this evidence informed practice, guided, and driven by consumers and families. A major goal is for community-wide culture shift to strength-based, trauma informed, culturally and linguistically competent practices.
  • SEFBHN staff participate in the Child Death Review Committees in both Circuits 15 and 19. The purpose of the Committee is to determine if there are systemic issues that contributed to the child’s death. In connection with the Child Death Review committee a SEFBHN staff person is also a participant on the DCF Critical Incident Rapid Response Team (CIRRT) whose purpose is to respond immediately when a child has died or is seriously injured due to abuse or neglect to review the circumstances of the case with a multi-disciplinary approach.