Escambia · Santa Rosa · Okaloosa Counties
We are a volunteer coalition of community leaders, health systems, and partners working together to close the gaps in mental health care across the panhandle.
Our Mission
Convened in 2021 by Representative Michelle Salzman, the Task Force has become a catalyst for collaboration across health care organizations — driving groundbreaking changes in policy, access to care, and new partnerships throughout the region.
Strategic Plan Results · 2023–2026
Our June 2026 Strategic Plan Implementation Report documents what partners accomplished from July 2023 through June 2026 — strengthening the behavioral health continuum across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Impact by the numbers
The state's first community-based, bifurcated Crisis Receiving System opened and is now in active use — completing more than 7,500 Baker Act screenings in two years and connecting people to care without an ER visit.
A fully staffed Co-Responder Unit — three sheriff's deputies paired with three behavioral health clinicians — now responds to mental health crises, diverting them away from jail and the emergency room.
School- and community-based prevention expanded through campus screeners, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and peer-led Hope Squads in middle and high schools across both county districts.
The Mobile Response Team added 11 positions with $563,596 in new funding, while short-term residential treatment grew from 20 to 24 beds — backed by $2.2M in state funding.
As behavioral health was integrated into clinic settings, mental-health visits at one partner clinic quadrupled — from 308 in 2023 to 1,297 in 2025.
A combined 417 people completed Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training, and a new Certified Recovery Peer Specialist pipeline began building a sustainable, locally grounded workforce.
In the report's words
The accomplishments documented in this report reflect substantial system-building progress and a strengthened foundation for continued collaboration beyond the current strategic plan period.
— Executive Summary
Law-enforcement drop-off times have been reduced to an average of approximately 11 minutes, enabling officers to return to patrol far more quickly than when emergency departments served as the primary intake point.
— Goal 8 · Crisis Receiving System
This upward trend demonstrates both the community's growing need for mental health support and the clinic's ability to scale out services to meet that need.
— Goal 6 · Behavioral Health & Primary Care Integration
County-level indicators from the Florida Department of Health show suicide death rates and mental health–related emergency department visits stabilizing or showing early improvement during the plan period. These trends can't be attributed to any single program, but their timing aligns with expanded prevention, stronger crisis response, and added service capacity across the region.
Source: Strategic Plan Implementation Report, June 2026 — Selected Mental & Behavioral Health Indicators.In Progress
The Regional Managing Entity, Northwest Florida Health Network, has hired a coordinator tasked with driving implementation of our strategic plan — working with stakeholders and organizations across the panhandle to execute this roadmap for improving mental health access.
Discussions have begun on what a potential long-term mental health care facility could look like in the State of Florida, and whether Region 1 would be a good fit to pilot it.
I'd like to know more information about the Task Force and its work.
Get in touch →I'm a mental health provider and would like to get involved with the Task Force.
Get involved →I'm in need of mental health services and resources in my community.
Find resources →News & Awareness
An overview of the Task Force's mission, formation, and regional impact.
Read PDF → Press ReleaseQuarterly messaging and progress update from the Task Force.
Read PDF → Press ReleaseTask Force announcement and community update from January 2023.
Read PDF →Working Together
Over 60 organizations — health systems, law enforcement, school districts, veteran- and children-serving groups, and local nonprofits — collaborate through the Task Force.
The lead and supporting partners who carried out the 2023–2026 Strategic Plan:
Additional organizations, program providers, funders, institutions, and data partners who contributed to the Task Force.
Stay Connected
Keep up to date with the progress of the Task Force and upcoming community meetings.