Florida’s New Commitment to Mental Health and Substance Use Issues

As a state that consistently ranks poorly when it comes to mental health care, new hope breaks through for those suffering from mental health and substance use issues.

The Florida House and Senate recently passed a record-breaking budget for the year 2023-2024, which includes much needed funding for a range of behavioral health care.

Decades of Unanswered Concerns

Earlier this year, the Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse—a panel created by Florida lawmakers in 2021 to drive behavioral health care reforms—released a report detailing tremendous flaws in the state’s treatment system. The report also included improvement recommendations.

What struck people most about the 2023 report was its likeness to a report done over 20 years ago for the same reasons. So much seemingly remained unchanged with regard to the lack of funding, services, and effective system oversight.

A snapshot of Florida statistics includes the following:

• Nearly 3 million adult Floridians have a mental health illness, which is over 17% of the state’s population.
• Over 5 million Florida adults have a substance use disorder.
• Florida ranks 45^th out of 51 states when it comes to access to care.
• Of Florida adults with any mental health illness, over 58% of them do not get treatment.
• More than 6.3 million people in Florida reside in a community without enough mental health professionals.

Hope for the Future

But now, the state government seems ready and poised to turn things around. And by committing financially to both mental health and substance use treatment, there is hope that Florida can move away from being a state known for lacking mental health care to being one that provides the treatment so many of its residents need.

Melanie Brown-Woofter, the Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA) President and CEO, had this to say about Florida’s passed budget:

“On behalf of FBHA’s community behavioral health provider members and over 750,000 Floridians we serve, we are deeply grateful to the Florida Senate for passing a budget that offers families hope and services.

“For the first time in over 20 years, the Florida Senate has provided a substantial Medicaid rate increase for behavioral health services in their budget. The Senate is also investing an additional 34 million dollars into the community substance use and mental health system of care aimed at increasing access to crisis services, providing an immediate impact for thousands of Floridians across the state.

“The FBHA is beyond thankful that the Senate has committed over 60 million additional dollars to community initiatives, giving behavioral health care providers necessary resources to better serve their clients, and offering individuals living with mental illness and substance use disorders a lifeline to a resilient future.”

The fact that the legislature passed the new budget in May only seems fitting. After all, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This year, the National Alliance on Mental Health is celebrating with a More Than Enough campaign. Everyone is reminded of their own inherent value, and that they are more than enough just being themselves, regardless of any trait or diagnosis.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with mental health or substance use issues, please remember that help is available. Treatment centers like River Oaks—an outpatient and inpatient drug and alcohol rehab near Tampa, FL—provide effective treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Whether you have insurance or not, treatment can be accessible for all budgets. Contact a compassionate admissions navigator at to learn more about the various levels of addiction treatment, how to pay for rehab, and check your insurance coverage for rehab.

You can also quickly and securely now. Please don’t wait another day to reach out for the help you deserve. Start treatment now.