Florida DCF Implements Peer Behavioral Health Services To Reduce Suicidality Among First Responders & Their Families

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is launching new peer behavioral health services to help first responders and their families improve mental well-being and manage stress. These services will connect first responders to a provider organization or fellow first responder who is trained to provide referrals, information, and supportive counseling. The goal is to reduce the incidence of suicide or attempted suicide among employed or retired first responders.

Five organizations were selected for funding in the following regions. They will create or expand local peer-based services. The contract value per region, is $1.2 million for the core program services, $400,000 for behavioral health services, and $250,000 for the vendor to initiate or expand strategic planning efforts designed to expand behavioral health prevention efforts and promote well-being for first responders and their families. As of March 21, 2022, the contract amounts per region have not been released. The selected organizations are as follows:

• Florida A&M University: Northwest Region
• Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems: Northeast Region
• UCF RESTORES: Central Region
• Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: SunCoast Region
• 211 Broward: Southeast Region

The regional support organizations were selected via a request for proposals (DCF RFP 2122 029), which was released on December 3, 2021, with responses due by January 18, 2022. The tentative awards were announced on February 18, 2022. The contract was slated to begin on March 1, 2022, with the initial term running through June 30, 2022. DCF has not reported the names of other responders. DCF intended to select one vendor for each of the state’s six regions. The program proposals were evaluated on a 1,550-point scale, plus another 550 points for two optional service components (behavioral health services and strategic planning) to be used as a tie-breaker. The financial proposal was evaluated on a 175-point scale.

Additionally, DCF selected Florida A&M University to create a related toolkit with resources for improving mental well-being and stress management through employee training. The contract was awarded via a request for proposals (DCF RFP 2122 030), which was also released on December 3, 2021, with responses due by January 17, 2022. The contract was slated to begin on March 1, 2022, with the initial term running through June 30, 2022. DCF has not reported the names of other responders. The proposals were evaluated on an 800-point scale, with 650 points for the program proposal and 150 points for the financial proposal.

The new peer services were among the recommendations of the First Responders Suicide Deterrence Task Force. The Task Force was formed to identify and make recommendations on developing training programs and materials that would better enable first responders to cope with personal life stressors and stress related to their profession. After gathering information during its first three sessions, the Task Force identified areas where there were gaps in services, barriers to accessing services, and/or underserved populations.

The gaps were grouped into four types: individual, relationship, community, and societal.

• Individual Gaps: A lack of continuing education components are available for peer support members and teams. Little support and advisory options from clinical professionals are available for peer support leads; knowledge of crisis support services specific for first responders. A lack of culturally competent behavioral health professionals within outpatient and in-patient facilities; and lack of advocacy and support by those who make decisions for first responders to stay at work or return to work following a critical incident.
• Relationship Gaps: Few trainings on suicide prevention are specifically designed for families (gatekeepers) of first responders.
• Community Gaps: Conflicts of interest exist when a first responder’s mental health provider organization conducts fitness-for-duty assessments and therapeutic services. There is limited training on preventing suicide following a death or suicide attempt within an agency. Decentralized trainings and programs that promote autonomy can work against capacity building and statewide direction for consistency. Information about the effectiveness of employee assistance programs is minimal or missing.
• Societal Gaps: Confidentiality concerns and negative image of help-seeking behavior are embedded in the culture of the profession. Limitations on accessing services due to language and the time frame are defined in the existing post-traumatic stress disorder legislation. Employment contracts offer unequal access to inpatient care, outpatient services, and provisions for respite days in employment contracts. No standard of care exists such as the Behavioral Health Access Program for agencies serving first responders nor any standard operating procedures within agencies for mental health treatment of employees. Across the state, access to available services is inconsistent.

In December 2021, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis announced $12 million in funding to implement or expand behavioral health services for first responders, such as peer-to-peer supports, throughout the state. The funds are intended to help implement the task force recommendations.

For more information, contact:

• Michele Staffieri, Procurement Contact Point, Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Florida Department of Children and Families, 1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6, Room 348, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0700; 850-717-4354; Fax: 850-487-4272; Email: michele_staffieri@dcf.state.fl.us; Website: https://www.myflfamilies.com/FirstResponderResiliency/