Page 7 - The Jewish Voice - November '22

The Jewish Voice, Page 7

Local Happenings from page 6 With the nearly $1 million in funding, the agencies will
JFS Collaboration Receives be able to offer a sliding scale fee structure to ensure that
all clients in need will receive care. The target demographic
Nearly $1 Million to Expand for the initiative is low-income, underprivileged individuals
who are uninsured or underinsured and unable to pay the
Behavioral Health Services for costs associated with receiving mental healthcare. Funding
will enable all four agencies to hire additional qualified
Low-Income Individuals clinicians who have specialized training in areas such as
trauma, domestic violence, substance use, and LGBTQ+.
The Tri-County Jewish Family Services Mental
Health Collaboration joined together to request and
ultimately receive $998,400 in funding to serve low-income, Florida Lawmakers Present
underprivileged individuals in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Funds for Mental Health
Palm Beach counties with mental healthcare. The first-time Services of Broward County, Jewish Community Services
collaboration consists of Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family of South Florida, and Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services to JFS
Service of Palm Beach County, Goodman Jewish Family Services. The funds, granted in July of 2022 and made
possible through the leadership and legislative sponsorship
of State Sen. Shevrin Jones and State Rep. Mike Caruso,
will specifically address the growing need for mental health
services, encompassing both mental illness and substance
abuse in South Florida.
Sen. Jones and Rep. Caruso joined the leaders of all four
Tri-County Jewish Family Services organizations at a special
event last month in Boca Raton. Organization leadership
present at the event included Danielle Hartman, President
& CEO, Rales JFS; Marc Hopin, CEO, Alpert JFS; Randy
Colman, CEO, Goodman JFS; and Miriam Singer, President
& CEO, JCS of South Florida.
“The second I was asked to sponsor the Affordable Alpert JFS Board Chair and President Gary Hoffman,
Mental Health Collaboration Bill, I agreed. This represents a State Sen. Lori Berman, Alpert JFS Marc Hopin, State
landmark effort to provide mental healthcare to the region’s Rep. David Silvers, Director of MHFA Cindy Wides
Alpert JFS First Vice President of Outreach Jennifer Lesser, underserved populations,” said Sen. Jones. “It is extremely
State Rep. Mike Caruso, Alpert JFS Board Member Tracy gratifying to me personally to be in a position to be part of
Caruso, Sen. Shevrin Jones, Alpert JFS CEO Marc Hopin, and support the incredible work of these four South Florida
Alpert JFS Development Officer/Government Affairs Jewish Family Service organizations.”
Maxine Sonnenschein, Alpert JFS Director of Marketing & “Mental health care is often the unspoken crisis of the day
Communications Danielle Lustman, and Jewish Federation until something horrific such as a mass shooting at a school
of Palm Beach County President & CEO Michael Hoffman happens grabbing the news headlines. We have to do better,”
said Rep. Caruso. “I’m very pleased to work with Sen. Jones
and thankful to these four agencies who are on the front lines
every day helping those in most need.”
The Tri-County Jewish Family Services anticipate
more than 3,000 low-income individuals in crisis across
all three counties will be provided with evidenced-based,
trauma-informed, clinical care by licensed mental health
professionals as a result of receiving the funds. According Alpert JFS First Vice President of Outreach Jennifer
to Mental Health America, Florida ranks 48th nationwide Lesser, Alpert JFS Board Chair and President Gary
on access to mental health care. The study also reported that Hoffman, State Sen. Lori Berman, Alpert JFS CEO
633,000 Florida adults with mental illness and 116,000 youth Marc Hopin, State Rep. Mike Caruso, Alpert JFS Board
with depression had unmet treatment needs. Member Tracy Caruso
“We are pleased to collaborate with our JFS partners for this
Tri-County Mental Health initiative, which will provide our Addressing dire community mental health needs,
communities with much-needed affordable access to mental Florida lawmakers, including State Sen. Lori Berman,
health care,” said Danielle Hartman, President & CEO of Rales State Rep. Mike Caruso, and State Rep. David Silvers,
Goodman JFS CEO Randy Colman, State Rep. Mike Caruso, JFS. “Each of our organizations has experienced tremendous presented Alpert Jewish Family Service with a total of
Sen. Shevrin Jones, JCS of South Florida President & surges in requests for mental health support over the past few $470,000 in state funding.
CEO Miriam Singer, Rales JFS President & CEO Danielle years and this funding will allow us to hire additional staff, Of that, $270,000 will fund the Alpert JFS Community
Hartman, Alpert JFS CEO Marc Hopin minimize wait times, and meet the growing need.” Access Life Line (CALL) Service. More than just a help
line, the free Alpert JFS CALL Service is staffed by
master-level mental health professionals who provide a
comprehensive bio-psycho-social functional assessment
that identifies the caller’s specific needs. Last year more
February 11 - 12, 2023 than 6,400 people and families were served by the Alpert
JFS CALL Service at no charge. The funds will support
additional full-time staffing needs that will speed response
time and allow Alpert JFS to help 1,600 more individuals
December 3 - 4 and families.

Rep. Caruso noted, “We simply cannot bury our
heads in the sand and ignore mental illness any longer.
Sadly, every one of us has a family member, friend, or
neighbor who is affected. Mental illness crosses all lines
— economic, social, religious, ethnic, and political party
lines — and if there is one issue we must work together
on, this is it. I am so honored for the opportunity to work
with Sen. Berman and Alpert JFS and understand that
there is much more we need to do.”
March 31 - April 2, 2023 An additional $200,000 will fund Mental Health
First Aid (MHFA). MHFA teaches a basic five-step
intervention that empowers participants to recognize and
confront someone who is showing signs and symptoms
of distress and guide them to the help they need. The
funds will enable Alpert JFS to hire instructors who will
train a cadre of community-members and professionals
in high-risk communities.
Rep. Silvers added, “I have had the privilege of
sponsoring the Mental Health First Aid appropriation
for three years with Sen. Berman. My hope is to see this
program become as common as CPR in the near future.
The value of being able to recognize the warning signs,
knowing how to approach and speak to a person in crisis,
For tickets call: 561.832.7469 or 800.572.8471 can mean saving a person’s life.”
DREYF OO S HALL or visit: balletpalmbeach.org Photos courtesy of Alpert Jewish Family Service

Local Happenings on page 8