Multi-year funding will assist care navigation for youngsters and households throughout Lee County from 2026 to 2028
Youngsters’ Minds Matter has been awarded a $225,000 multi-year present from Suncoast Credit score Union Basis to maintain its extremely impactful Psychological Well being Navigator Program. The funding, distributed over three years starting in 2026, will guarantee continuity of look after households dealing with psychological and behavioral well being challenges throughout Southwest Florida.
The Psychological Well being Navigator Program launched as a pilot in 2020, the results of a management present from Suncoast Credit score Union Basis, and has since grown into a sturdy, regional mannequin for behavioral well being assist. At present, it consists of 10 navigators embedded in public faculties, pediatric practices and group organizations, serving a number of the area’s most susceptible youngsters and households.
“I really feel deeply fulfilled realizing that my work helps households heal and develop collectively,” stated Farren Williams, psychological well being navigator at Golisano Youngsters’s Hospital. “It’s unbelievable to witness the resilience that may emerge when people obtain the assist they want. Serving to households navigate their challenges and enhance their relationships is without doubt one of the most rewarding features of my profession.”
Navigators are skilled caregivers of people with severe emotional stressors who present peer mentoring, useful resource referrals and customized steering by the advanced psychological well being system. They assist households entry primary wants, like meals and rental help, whereas additionally connecting them to long-term behavioral well being care. The navigators don’t present remedy, however function trusted guides, breaking down boundaries to care.
In simply the final two fiscal quarters, the Psychological Well being Navigator Program served 158 youngsters throughout 79 households. Since inception, it has supported greater than 564 youngsters and 846 people in complete. Prime issues addressed embody ADHD, Autism Spectrum Dysfunction and aggressive behaviors. The common size of assist for every household is 254 days, or roughly 8.5 months, illustrating the intensive, wraparound nature of this system. Regardless of rising demand, mirrored in a relentless waitlist, individuals have skilled vital enhancements, comparable to:
- College attendance improved by 54%.
- Educational efficiency elevated by a mean of two grade ranges.
- Baker Act hospitalizations diminished by 50%.
- Classroom disruptions considerably decreased.
“Attending to the psychological well being of youth and households is paramount to well being and wellness. After we deal with the problems of psychological well being, we elevate the usual of life for all of these in our communities. We take nice pleasure on this program and are proud to work with Lee Well being in an effort to carry a deeper understanding of psychological well being points to these in want. This program is mission aligned for each organizations, and we’re proud to assist these efforts,” stated Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of Suncoast Credit score Union.
Their continued partnership pushes Suncoast Credit score Union’s complete affect on Lee Well being’s packages to almost $3 million.
