WHH Center for Behavioral Health Awarded Polk County School Board Future Contract

Winter Haven, Fla., (August 2, 2016) – Winter Haven Hospital’s Center for Behavioral Health (CBH) is pleased to announce its award from the Polk County School Board for a future contract in an amount up to $1.4 million to provide school-based mental health services.

Pending future negotiations, the contract will allow for CBH’s team of certified mental health therapists to visit more than 100 Polk County schools and provide mental health services to approximately 1,400 students in the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program.

The therapists work closely with the school administrative staff and each ESE teacher, as well as review each child’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP) to determine the recommendations for mental health treatment. Individual and group therapy is available for students that have an IEP if the IEP team agrees that a child’s success would benefit from mental health services.

For school children that are not fluent in English, the Center for Behavioral Health offers bilingual school-based therapists. The other languages that CBH therapists speak include Creole, French and Spanish.

“We are honored to partner with the Polk County School Board to provide school-based mental health services,” said Teresa Even, manager of behavioral health services at Winter Haven Hospital’s Center for Behavioral Health. “We have provided mental health services for children and adults for more than 37 years, and were the nation’s first Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center in response to the Mental Health Services Act of 1964.”

For more information about the Center for Behavioral Health’s School-based Mental Health Services, call (863) 293-1121, extension 6764.

About Winter Haven Hospital

Established in 1926, Winter Haven Hospital is a 529-bed facility accredited by the Joint Commission. On Aug. 30, 2013, Winter Haven Hospital joined the Tampa Bay area-based BayCare Health System. More than 300 board-certified physicians comprise the medical staff, covering specialties such as stroke, open heart, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency services. In addition, the hospital is recognized as a Magnet Nursing Center of Excellence, a prestigious designation held by less than seven percent of hospitals nationwide. Winter Haven Hospital has more than 2,500 employees, making it east Polk County’s largest private employer, and has been recognized by Polk Works Workforce 2020 as one of the county’s best places to work. Winter Haven Hospital is located at 200 Avenue F NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881. For more information visit WinterHavenHospital.org 

About BayCare

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care.  For more information visit www.baycare.org

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