CJMHSA Technical Assistance Center Expansion

In 2007 the Florida Legislature created the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Technical Assistance Center at USF (FMHI) within the Department of Mental Health, Law and Policy (Chapter 394.659). Mark Engelhardt, CJMHSA TA Center Director and PI is pleased to announce the expansion of the CJMHSA TA Center with an executed contract with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Office in the amount of $500,000 per year for the next five years. The Legislature appropriated $ 9 million in recurring funding for the CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant Program to expand services for persons with mental illness and substance use disorders involved in the criminal justice system. As a result, USF-FMHI (MHLP) provides Technical Assistance to county governments, managing entities, courts, law enforcement and SAMH providers to implement evidenced-based SAMH practices as a cross-systems approach. The TA Center has hired Karen Mann, MS as Program Director and Katelind Halldorsson, MA as a Social and Behavioral Researcher. Since July 1st, the Center has already provided TA to 12 counties in preparing applications for the new round of DCF CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant funding. USF works closely with DCF SAMH Program Office in Tallahassee to implement contemporary programs that have had a major impact on diverting Florida citizens from jail and assisting those for re-entry into the community who are in need of substance abuse and mental health treatment services. The Center is also responsible for submitting an annual Legislative Report on the progress of the Reinvestment Grant program.