Florida is located at the southern eastern of the United States. It is the ranked as the second-largest state behind Georgia. Regarding size, it is ranked in the 22nd position. Just like other U.S states, Florida has increased cases of mental illness. There are different policies on health such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Mental health is a disaster in waiting, and it is spreading rapidly in America, and Florida State is not an exception.  In its worst form, mental illness presents itself in paranoia forms, and its delusions can cause violence. For example, there has been a reported incident whereby a lawyer killed three people at the Florida State University. The police later gunned him down.  Furthermore, there are cases of individuals who suffer silently from mental health related illness. Mental health does not discriminate, and anyone can suffer from it regardless of race, class status, gender or age.  In Florida alone, there are about 181,000 and 660,000 health cases among children and adults respectively (Baglivio, et al. 7). Some of the commonly reported mental health illness in Florida include severe depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The diseases affect the lives of individuals negatively and at times result in suicide (Peters, Harry and Arthur 4). This condition is present everywhere and impacts on all public agencies. Despite this, Florida is still ranked position 49 among the U.S states, which have initiated various programs on mental health. Additionally, the amount that Florida State spends on mental health programs should be increased.  Annually, the state allocates only $718 million on mental illness programs while it spends almost $1 billion on prisons and jails for medicating mentally ill intimates (Tomlinson and Crick 1).  Concerning this, it is important for the Florida State to pass and implement the Senate Billion 12.

In 2016, The Florida House passed another bill on the mental health called the Senate Bill 12.  This bill is in alignment with the Recommendations of the Florida TaxWatch that advocates for behavioral health managing programs in Florida. The entities should be well funded (Dillahunt-Aspillaga 3).  This will assist in alleviating other effects related to mental illness such as poor housing. The objective of the Senate Bill 12 is to enhance behavioral health process in Florida. It will realize this by establishing coordinated systems that will take care of all the persons suffering from mental health related illnesses abuse of substances and other co-occurring disorders (Frank, Kirsten and Sherry 35). According to issues (Johnston 150), it is recommendable to prioritize individuals who suffer from mental health. This is because mental health interferes with other spheres of ones live including housing, employment, and social health. Therefore, the law should be implemented fully because, the balance between medication, treatment, and long-term reviews need well-coordinated care. It is clear that the coordination is lacking. Therefore, the bill should not only focus on addressing the short-term effects, but there should be a follow up on the wellbeing of the general welfare of the affected persons. Furthermore, assisting individuals who have mental illness or abuse of substances should be a major concern to every resident in Florida. Providing quality care for the affected individuals would not only enhance their lives but also assist the state to save funds and invest them in other projects (Baglivio, et al. 4).

The Bill aims to implement a system of “No Wrong Door,” which will optimize care for persons who have mental illness or abuse substances regardless of the time they gain entry into the system. Citing Alejo (88), this is recommendable because of the mental health related issues. Thus, for the program to be successful, it is important for families and children to be included. Additionally, the behavioral health managing entities should play critical roles in the bill implementation. Consequently, the passing of the bill would assist the aging. This is because the relevant bodies will not only promote but also identify efficient, effective, appropriate and accountable delivery of quality health care services to the identified population.  The Senate Bill 12 is a good project, and it is important to appreciate the work of all its sponsors. According to Tomlinson and Crick (3), it is important for institutions to provide information on the state funding. Furthermore, substance users, mental health and suicidal thoughts that are influenced by environmental and biological factors. There are also environmental factors such as housing, poverty, stress and lack of sufficient opportunities to heighten the issues linked to behavioral health problems (Alejo 88).  State policies such as stronger job programs or Medicaid expansion can assist in minimizing the stress. This would assist in reducing cases of mental health and their impact on people’s economic and social lives.

Passing the law is not enough. It should be implemented fully. This is because Florida is still lagging behind in terms of mental illness programs and funding. Everyone should feel the impact of the Bill. In sum, the Senate Bill 12 is a noble idea. It will change the lives of the affected persons, and finally, insurance firms will recognize mental problems as a health issue (Prins 864). Hence, it will reduce financial burdens on the affected individuals and at the same time be ensuring that they access quality healthcare services.

Works Cited

Alejo, Kavita. “Long-Term Physical and Mental Health Effects of Domestic Violence.” Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science 2.1 (2014): 81-98.

Baglivio, Michael T., et al. “The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in the lives of juvenile offenders.” Journal of juvenile justice 3.2 (2014): 1-23.

Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Christina, et al. “Traumatic brain injury: unmet support needs of caregivers and families in Florida.” PloS one 8.12 (2013): 1-9.

Frank, Richard G., Kirsten Beronio, and Sherry A. Glied. “Behavioral health parity and the Affordable Care Act.” Journal of social work in disability & rehabilitation 13.1-2 (2014): 31-43.

Johnston, E. Lea. “Vulnerability and just desert: a theory of sentencing and mental illness.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 103.1 (2013): 147-230.

Peters, Roger H., Harry K. Wexler, and Arthur J. Lurigio. “Co-occurring substance use and mental disorders in the criminal justice system: A new frontier of clinical practice and research.” American Psychology Association 38.1 (2015): 1-6.

Prins, Seth J. “Prevalence of mental illnesses in US state prisons: a systematic review.” Psychiatric Services 65.7 (2014): 862-872.

Tomlinson, Mark, and Crick Lund. “Why does mental health not get the attention it deserves? An application of the Shiffman and Smith framework.” PLoS Med 9.2 (2012): 1-4.

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