The Problem
In Palm Beach County, 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness each year, but less than half of individuals who needed care actually received it in 2020. This lack of access to mental health care has resulted in the highest rate of suicide by population in the state, with 62 deaths from January to March 2024.1 This difficulty accessing services impacts the county as a whole. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is the largest provider of mental health services in the community, which puts an additional burden on law enforcement officers. It also impacts the emergency departments, as people in crisis are constantly seeking care. This revolving door of ER, jail, and streets not only fails to treat the underlying mental illness but also costs taxpayers money and takes services away from others.
The Proven Solution
Why Assertive Community Treatment Teams Work:
While there are several types of services within the mental health continuum, one that many individuals have a hard time accessing is step-down treatment. Step-down care is the transition stage of treatment when a client leaves a higher level of care (i.e. in-patient hospitalization) and moves to a lower one (i.e. out-patient treatment). Many individuals are simply discharged from the hospital with little to no guidance, leaving themselves and their families confused and scared. This often leads to relapses and other negative consequences.
One nationwide best practice that aims to bridge this gap is called Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), This model is unique for several reasons:
Small Caseload,
Services Come to the Client,
Multidisciplinary Team, 24/7
Crisis Management,
Cost-savings
Increased housing stability
2025 Nehemiah Action Update
Asta Trinh from the Department of Children and Families attended our 2025 Nehemiah Action and agreed to all three of our asks!
1. Monitoring of FACT Teams: Asta confirmed that DCF has initiated the monitoring process of FACT teams in Palm Beach County. She has directed her team to complete this process by April 18th.
2. Follow-Up Meeting: Asta committed to meeting with us by the end of May to provide an update on the findings from the monitoring process. That meeting has been scheduled.
3. Corrective Action Plan: If PEACE’s findings are validated—specifically, that SEFBHN is not meeting the staffing requirements—Asta agreed that DCF will implement a corrective action plan that includes consequences.
In addition, as Asta was leaving, she shared two more important steps DCF is taking:
4. Investigation into Ann Berner’s Conduct: DCF is actively investigating Ann Berner’s actions following last year’s Nehemiah Action. Berner has until April 9th to respond and explain her inappropriate behavior.
5. Statewide Investigation of FACT Teams: As a direct result of our efforts, DCF has decided to launch a statewide investigation into all FACT teams to ensure individuals across all of Florida are receiving the care they need.
These developments represent significant progress and reflect the power of our collective advocacy. We’ll continue to hold DCF accountable and follow up on these commitments.
