BayCare Receives $3 Million Grant to Enhance Behavioral Health Services in Pasco County

BayCare Health System, West Central Florida’s largest provider of behavioral health services, has received a $3 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to fund a Community Engagement Center (CEC) in Pasco County.

The CEC will be a place for vulnerable adults with serious mental illness (SMI) and adults with SMI and substance use disorders to easily access needed behavioral health services. The physical location in Pasco County has yet to be determined.

The three goals for this project are to:

• increase access to care
• increase the number of individuals served
• increase recovery support services and well-being among participants

Those seeking services will have the option of in-person services at the center, virtual appointments, telephonic appointments or in-person assistance in the community.

“Since the pandemic began, we have been continuously challenged to meet both the increasing demand for services and the worsening of patient symptoms,” said Gail Ryder, vice president, BayCare Behavioral Health Services. “This grant will allow us to meet the needs of the most vulnerable by reducing the barriers and stressors that prevent them from seeking or receiving services.”

With these funds, BayCare Behavioral Health will have the resources to serve a minimum of 600 additional community-based referrals over the two-year grant period.

The core services provided include:

• screening and assessment
• short-term crisis counseling
• coordination of follow-up care
• peer-led support groups
• system navigation
• benefits assistance

This $3 million grant continues to demonstrate BayCare’s commitment to increasing access to behavioral health services in the Tampa Bay area. Earlier this year, BayCare announced plans to significantly increase both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services by mid-2022.