If Passed, the Florida Senate’s big-government “DCF” Accountability Act would mean a big step back for mental health

In this piece from The Capitolist, Brian Burgess details how 12 years ago, then-State Senator Ronda Storms, a Republican from the Tampa area, made the case for an improved, decentralized system to the Governmental Operations Committee:

“DCF must negotiate and monitor over 600 separate provider contracts with community agencies. At the community level, there is no single entity responsible for creating a single system of care from independently operated services. There are costly, duplicative, and regulatory functions being carried out because state purchasing and monitoring is not coordinated. It is expected that managing entities will increase the integration of substance abuse and mental health services for consumers with co-occuring disorders.”

We must make sure that the regional system in place continues. We need to remember the things that did not work and the things that did. Florida cannot afford to go backwards.

Please read the entire piece here.