Miami Beach Behavioral Health Program Expands Student Reach
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Tel: 305.673.7575 PRESS RELEASE
Tonya Daniels, E-mail: tonyadaniels@miamibeachfl.gov
Melissa Berthier, E-mail: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2017
Miami Beach Behavioral Health Program Expands Student Reach
— Following $50,000 Grant Awarded to the Miami Beach Chamber
Education Foundation —
Miami Beach, FL –Since 2016, the City of Miami Beach has worked collaboratively with
The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), Miami Beach
Chamber Education Foundation and Borinquen Health Care Center to provide
comprehensive on-site services such as social-emotional screenings, behavioral
assessments, crisis interventions and counseling to Miami Beach Senior High School,
Nautilus Middle School, Feinberg Fisher K-8 Center, South Pointe Elementary, North
Beach Elementary, Biscayne Elementary, Treasure Island Elementary and Ruth K.
Broad K-8 Bay Harbor K-8 Center.
“I’m proud of the substantial level of health care services that we have been able to
provide to the students of Miami Beach through the collective efforts of the Miami Beach
Chamber Education Foundation and all our partners,” shared Jerry Libbin, President and
CEO of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, appreciatively.
By virtue of the program’s inspiring impact, the State Attorney’s Safer and Healthier
Community Fund, through The Miami Foundation, has awarded the school-based
initiative $50,000 to expand its services.
In an effort to create more opportunities for middle and high school students to receive
the help they need to succeed, funds will be used to hire a full-time licensed clinical
social worker (LCSW) – continuing to make the city the only municipality providing full-
time mental health support in public schools throughout Miami-Dade County.
“This grant will allow us to further improve the quality of our services and build a healthy,
positive environment in our schools for years to come,” expressed Commissioner Micky
Steinberg. “By continuing to address mental health issues early on, specifically in
relation to substance abuse, these long-term goals will become fast-approaching
solutions.”
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
Too often, the biggest obstacle relating to substance abuse involves unattended mental
health issues. With grant assistance, the school-based initiative will target behavioral
health from this necessary perspective and introduce additional expert help. Nurses,
social workers and city staff will work collaboratively to identify high-risk behaviors that
lead to substance abuse and impaired driving by providing early assessments and
promoting awareness among students, parents and teachers.
“Since the beginning, Miami Beach has aggressively pursued additional funding to
enhance the school-based health clinics we fund,” shared President & CEO of The
Children’s Trust James R. Haj. “This grant is a game changer not only for the success of
the program, but for the betterment of all children in the South Florida community – as it
reinforces the city’s mental health program as a shining example of what can be
duplicated elsewhere.”
Boosting resources and extending student reach, the mental health service program
expansion is focused on continually investing in the youth – securing the future of Miami
Beach by ensuring a child’s right to learn without obstacles.
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