As first of its kind the Miami Dade Mental Health facility and Recovery Center continues to garner media attention. Bringing a compassionate solution to many individuals who can now benefit from adequate treatment and care. To follow are a few videos and articles that have been published.
Videos
News & Articles
Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery nears opening
The judge spearheading a project to end the homelessness-to-jail cycle confirmed the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery will open this year. The pioneer facility is to be a one-stop shop for primary care and psychiatric services for unhoused people with acute mental illnesses who are in the criminal justice system or at risk of entering it... Read More
Decriminalizing Mental Illness
U.S. correctional institutions, local courts, and police officers frequently encounter people with untreated or undertreated serious mental illnesses, often coupled with substance-use disorders. These encounters usually stem from the alleged commission of a misdemeanor — trespassing, panhandling, petty theft — or a minor, nonviolent felony. Each year, about 11.4 million people are booked into local U.S. jails... Read More
Jail Diversion — The Miami Model
The Eleventh Judicial Circuit Criminal Mental Health Project (CMHP), located in Miami-Dade County, FL, was established in 2000 to divert individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI; eg, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, andmajor depression) or co-occurring SMI and substance use disorders away from the criminal justice system and into comprehensive community-based treatment and support services... Read More
Miami-Dade judge says new mental health treatment facility is a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'
Two years ago, WLRN partnered with the podcast 70 Million to tell the story of how Miami-Dade Judge Steve Leifman has made Miami-Dade County a national leader in criminal justice reform. Through the advent of the the Miami-Dade Criminal Mental Health Project in 2000, Leifman has specifically worked to reform the way people with mental health disorders are treated inside the criminal justice system... Read More
Mental Health and Recovery Center awaits occupancy OK to hire staff
A one-stop shop for primary care and psychiatric services for Miami’s unhoused residents is on track to open this year. The 11th circuit court judge spearheading the project, Steve Leifman, said the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery is awaiting approval from Miami-Dade County. The county is expected to issue a temporary certificate of occupancy within several weeks, after which staff will be hired and providers will be contracted.
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Miami-Dade County builds center for mental health and recovery
County officials representing urban counties at the 2019 Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Symposium in Miami-Dade County, Fla., toured a new facility that will offer a full continuum of care for justice-involved individuals with mental illnesses. The concept for the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery began when the county passed a general obligation bond program with $22 million in the public safety sector to create a diversion facility for justice-involved individuals, said Tim Coffey, project coordinator for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida... Read More
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Miami can lead the way on mental health treatment while saving taxpayers millions | Opinion
For far too long, Miami-Dade County’s jail has been used as a defacto psychiatric institution. This misguided practice been going on for years — for decades, in fact — with the jail a warehouse for people with acute mental illness, many of whom are homeless. It’s inhumane, it’s ineffective and it’s incredibly expensive. Now, though, we have an opportunity to make a dramatic change in how we handle this problem ... Read More
The Definition of Insanity (Documentary)
Exploring a Revolutionary Approach to Solving the Mental Health Crisis That could be a model for the nation... Learn More