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Florida Council for Behavioral Healthcare

RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT
(printable PDF version)

Florida Council for Behavioral Healthcare
316 E. Park Avenue • Tallahassee, Florida 32301-1514
(850) 224-6048 • Fax (850) 224-6048

March 6, 2003

The Honorable Donald F. Eslinger
Legislative Committee Chair
Florida Sheriff’s Association
c/o 100 Bush Boulevard
Sanford, FL 32773

Dear Sheriff Eslinger:

This letter is to express the Florida Council for Behavioral Healthcare’s continued support of legislation that would authorize involuntary outpatient treatment in Florida.

We believe this bill, as proposed by the Florida Sheriff’s Association, would help reduce the number of people with serious and persistent mental illnesses who cycle in and out of crisis stabilization centers, hospital emergency rooms and county jails. The option of court-ordered outpatient treatment would enhance the ability of the community mental health system to provide early intervention services to people with a history of repeated episodes of psychiatric illnesses before they become so ill they meet criteria for inpatient commitment.

The legislation proposed by the Sheriff’s Association goes far beyond helping protect law enforcement officers and reducing the high costs of treating people with mental illnesses in Florida’s county jails. It also offers a more humane and less coercive way to provide treatment and support services to people who have been severely disabled by a mental illness. At present, the system is often unable to help these people until after they have harmed themselves or others. This is a tragedy for the individuals involved, as well as for those harmed by behavior related to a mental illness. It is especially tragic when we know that provision of earlier treatment services can not only reduce an individual’s recovery period but also prevent future psychotic breaks.

Passage of the court-ordered outpatient treatment bill will help stop this tragedy. I commend you and the Sheriff’s Association for taking the lead in seeking passage of this bill.

Sincerely,
Robert J. Constantine
Robert J. Constantine, Ph.D.
President

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