Letter to the Editor: Response to the fog

We applaud the article in last week’s Clay Today remembering the “fog” in Keystone Heights that occurred two years ago. Childhood and young adulthood are often referred to as the best times of one’s life, but the reality for many of our youth is that it can be a troubling, painful time. Problems seem insurmountable, heartache seems as though it will last forever, and hope often seems too far away to rely on. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24. One in five individuals ages 13-18 has a diagnosable mental illness at any given time. Florida remains near the bottom of the states in designated funding for mental health; at last count we were 49th.

As the community mental health center providing services in Clay County for the past 34 years, Clay Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) was privileged to be a part of the recovery efforts in Keystone Heights. We expanded operations at our Keystone Heights office to accommodate the needs of children and families, helped to coordinate the community calendar of events in Operation Summer in the City, and met with local school board officials to provide additional staff to assist youth and families. Through a partnership with Baptist Health we were able to secure funding to provide a full time intervention counselor in Keystone Heights to offer services to students. Research shows that providing support, education and access to services after a traumatic event is critical to a recovery effort and may help avoid additional problems. We were honored to collaborate with so many community partners including dedicated school staff, the faith based community, law enforcement, public and private mental health providers, parents and other concerned residents.

In the 2016 Clay County Community Health Improvement Plan, mental health was identified as one of three priority health issues. Community members of a Mental Health workgroup led by CBHC and the Florida Dept of Health - Clay now meet to plan for action, implement strategies, and evaluate progress towards the goal of expanding awareness of behavioral health needs and increasing access to services.

Our thoughts remain with those who were so deeply impacted; family, friends, classmates and educators.

Irene M. Toto, LMHC

CEO

Institute for Growth and Development

Clay Behavioral Health Center

Kids First of Florida