Partners in Crisis Join Judge Steve Leifman to Present 2008 “Champion Award”
Tampa, FL – State Senator Victor D. Crist (R-Tampa) has been recognized by Florida Partners in Crisis with the 2008 “Champion Award” for his outstanding commitment to mental health care during the 2008 Legislative Session. Throughout his nearly two decades of public service, Senator Crist has been a passionate advocate of improved access to care for the mentally ill, and has taken the lead on key initiatives aimed at improving the coordination of mental health services in Florida. This year, Senator Crist and State Representative Ed Homan (R-Tampa) worked with Judge Leifman and Partners in Crisis to fight for laws that would dissolve current inequities in the state’s treatment of mental illness—a problem that costs taxpayers more than $300 billion per year nationwide.
“As we lower the barriers to treatment for those with severe mental illness, we will enable them to obtain proper care, and ultimately, fewer will encounter the criminal justice system,” explained Crist, “We cannot afford for our jails and prisons to continue as de facto mental health treatment centers.” Crist’s parity legislation, known as the Florida Mental Health Parity Act, would require insurance companies that provide coverage in Florida to offer equivalent coverage for mental and physical health care. Currently, mental health benefits in Florida are restricted to specific service areas, require higher insurance premiums, and are capped at lower levels. As a result, patients with diseases such as bipolar disorder or Alzheimer’s are prevented from obtaining treatment—a disparity that Senator Crist has been working hard to change. Ironically, Florida has more insurance mandates than all but eleven states, and mandates coverage for nonessential services such as hair prosthesis, acupuncture and marriage counseling—yet is one of only seven states without mental health parity laws.
“Senator Crist has been a very dedicated champion of mental health rights and a strong supporter of our most pivotal mental health care initiatives,” says Judge Steve Leifman, Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health to the Florida Supreme Court. In 2006, Crist’s leadership enabled the development of Florida’s Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction program, an innovative strategy designed by Crist and Members of the Florida Supreme Court to assist mentally ill inmates as they re-enter society and prevent them from repeatedly darkening prison doorways. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations, Crist has spent more than $12 million on this program since its inception, and has spear-headed efforts to adequately fund programs for substance abuse prevention, evaluation and treatment.
“Addressing mental health needs is important to all Floridians, and it has been an honor to work with Florida Partners in Crisis, Judge Leifman and many others to raise this issue as a top priority at the state level,” says Crist. “I am confident that together, we will accomplish what is necessary to remove the barriers to proper health care for the mentally ill.”
