This fall, the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Technical Assistance Center (TAC) hosted a virtual statewide grantee meeting with active grantees of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant. More than 60 individuals were in attendance. The meeting served as an opportunity for grantees to receive updates on TAC changes, DCF priorities, and plans for future reinvestment funds.

During the meeting the TAC presented its new organizational structure, which includes the capacity for data and evaluation with Scott Young, PhD, Research Associate Professor in MHLP joining the TAC team. Beginning in August, Abby Shockley assumed the role as Director of the TAC with Katelind Halldorsson transitioning as Assistant Program Director in October. Randy Otto, PhD, Associate Professor in MHLP, also serves as Co-Principal Investigator to the TAC.

The TAC provides training and technical assistance (TA) to reinvestment grantees. Through these TA events the TAC identifies innovative and model practices occurring throughout the State of Florida in the areas of behavioral health and criminal justice. During the statewide grantee meeting, Lee County and Hillsborough County highlighted their innovative program initiatives.

Bradley Alix, with the Lee County Public Defender's Office presented on the Lee County Reentry Taskforce, which was inspired by a client case study conducted to illuminate gaps and ultimately lead to innovative problem solving. Using the results of the case study, the taskforce was formally established and begun identifying opportunities to address significant gaps in services and linkages to care for individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders released from incarceration.

The meeting concluded with a presentation on Hillsborough County Criminal Justice Unit's training initiatives, where their approach to cross-sector training was reviewed. Over the last year, the unit identified core training topics necessary for a variety of sectors and services related to their grant program. By identifying these core topics, Hillsborough County was able to leverage strength in numbers and expand training access to all grant partners in order to ensure consistency and standardization among them. Their most recent success story included the development and implementation of a multisession Cultural Diversity training with Kyaien Conner, PhD, USF MHLP Associate Professor. Results from this approach to training yielded substantial "collaborative currency" within the county.

For more information on reinvestment grant programs happening throughout the state, visit www.floridatac.org.

Dr. Diana Julbe-Delgado, faculty advisor for the Bilingual Language Literacy Investigative Networking Group (BLLING), partnered with Achieve Plant City, a not for profit organization that offers a variety of educational services to families, to offer a Bilingual (Spanish/English) virtual literacy event and celebration of Hispanic/Latinx culture. In addition to Dr. Delgado, 17 USF students, 5 children, 4 parents, 1 educator from Achieve Plant City participated in the event. Prior to the event, Achieve Plant City and the families were provided with an event flyer, zoom instructions, book and materials (coloring pages), and a schedule. During the event, the BLLING students read the story to the children and their families and highlighted key literacy concepts and the beauty of a being a part of two cultures. Dr. Delgado and the BLLING students modeled how to promote print knowledge, phonological awareness, and oral language (e.g., vocabulary). There were multiple choice, short response, and discussion questions embedded throughout the activity to keep it interactive. After the event, families were provided with a literacy resource flyer which contained three additional sample stories and their accompanying questions as well as a list of bilingual storybooks and websites where they could find additional books and vocabulary lessons to complete at home. Literacy is the foundation for all learning and is imperative to success in academic content areas. This is especially important for bilingual and migrant families who may not have literacy instruction readily available in a language they understand.

Dr. David Dosa MD, MPH, will present "What can we learn from Oscar the Cat about Dementia and End of Life Care" on Friday, November 13, 2020 at 1:00pm. This will be a Microsoft Teams Live Presentation. Dr. Dosa is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University. He is a practicing geriatrician at the Providence VAMC and directs the Primary Care Dementia Clinic and is Research Director for the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Dosa also serves as the Associate Director of the Providence VAMC Center of Innovation on Long Term Services and Supports. He has research funding from the Veteran's Administration, National Institutes on Aging, and multiple organizations, including Meals on Wheels of America and AARP. His research interests include improving care of frail older adults residing within institutions and in the home environment. Dr. Dosa completed medical school at The George Washington University and residency in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. He has received several national awards including a Humanities Award from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, a Research Career Award Recipient from the Veteran's Administration, and a New Investigator Award from the American Geriatrics Society. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat, which spent months on the bestseller list and has been published in over 30 countries.

The USF Florida Center for Behavioral Health Improvement and Solutions has collaborated with Aunt Bertha to create a free web-based resource guide featuring reduced cost social and medical services available to Florida communities.

Resources include assistance with housing, transportation, food, and access to behavioral and physical healthcare services.

To search resources through the web-based resource guide, visit https://floridamedicaidmentalhealth.auntbertha.com/.

The Florida Behavioral Health Collaborative Pediatric Hotline (1-866-487-9507) provides a wide range of services, coordinated by a care coordinator/resource navigator, to support peer-to peer consultation between pediatric care providers caring for children with behavioral health needs and child psychiatrists.

This free resource is available to all providers regardless of insurance carrier caring for children/youth up to 21 years old.

1. Haner, M., Sloan, M. M., Pickett, J. T., & Cullen, F. T. (2020). Safe Haven or Dangerous Place? Stereotype Amplification and Americans' Perceived Risk of Terrorism, Violent Street Crime, and Mass Shootings. The British Journal of Criminology. doi:10.1093/bjc/azaa045

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