For 20 years, the Florida Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) program in Pasco County has provided community-based care to residents with severe and persistent mental illness. Operated by BayCare, FACT is part of a nationwide model that uses multidisciplinary care teams to support adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions.
As the largest provider of behavioral health services in West Central Florida, BayCare provides a continuum of care designed to improve access to high-quality, compassionate behavioral health services.
“FACT is for people whose mental health cannot be maintained with outpatient services alone and who are best served in their homes rather than an inpatient setting,” said BayCare Behavioral Health Manager Sonya Bufe, who has managed the Pasco County FACT program for six years.
The FACT team includes medical providers, nurses, clinicians, case managers and people with lived experience, with the program’s success rooted in care tailored to the individual needs of each client. FACT team members are available around the clock and do more than help clients manage medications. They also connect clients with housing, food, transportation, medical care and other services that help them remain safe and navigate daily life.
To celebrate the program’s 20th anniversary in Pasco County, BayCare invited clients to create artwork depicting FACT’s impact on their lives. Many clients chose to paint butterflies as symbols of their transformation since joining FACT.
“The FACT team is a place where you can go and be yourself with no stigma,” said client Dawn Strait. “They helped me find a medication schedule that worked. I was able to go back to school and get my master’s degree and my doctorate degree, and I haven’t been in the hospital since 2013.”
BayCare operates FACT programs in Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando counties, with each program currently at capacity. Of the 102 clients served by the Pasco County program, all have stable housing, 43% are pursuing educational opportunities and 94% remain out of crisis units each year.
“The FACT program is one of the great success stories of what we do at BayCare Behavioral Health,” said Gail Ryder, BayCare vice president of behavioral health services. “Not only is it keeping people out of hospitals and jails, but it is also giving our clients and their families a lifeline, a foundation from which to thrive. I couldn’t be prouder of the compassion and dedication of our FACT team members.”
The celebration also honored two longtime FACT team members, psychiatrist Dr. Susan Hanna and therapist Rich Kelly, for 20 years of service to the program.
Asked what has kept them dedicated to FACT for two decades, Kelly put it simply: “We go out and do what we have to do to save lives and help people.”
Learn more: BayCare Behavioral Health
