Murphy Announces Three Federal Grants to Improve Mental Health Among Young People

September 18, 2018 – WASHINGTON — U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy today announced three federal grants to help improve youth mental health training and services in central Florida.

• Community Initiatives, Inc., in Orlando will receive $125,000 from the Center for Mental Health Services for youth mental health awareness training. This program will incorporate two evidence-based practices designed to increase first responder and other community partners’ ability to effectively engage young people struggling with mental health issues and to mitigate crisis. It is in partnership with Wraparound Orange of Orange County Government, Aspire Health Partners, and National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Orlando (NAMIGO).

• The University of Central Florida in Orlando will receive $125,000 from the Center for Mental Health Services to help fund the C PASS Project, a Now is the Time Project Aware Community Grant, is a partnership between UCF, USF, and the Florida Council for Community Mental Health (FCCMH). This project aims to coordinate, strengthen, and enhance system-wide efforts to expand Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training, behavioral health outreach, and engagement initiatives to high risk regions in Central Florida.

• Rollins College in Winter Park will receive a three-year Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Campus Suicide Prevention grant totaling $305,848 distributed over a three-year period to support the development of necessary infrastructure, activities, and evidence-based strategies to build and sustain a foundation for prevention, early identification, and intervention for students, including those at risk for suicide, depression, serious mental illness, and/or substance use disorders.

“We must work together to remove the stigma of mental health issues and improve both prevention and treatment in central Florida, especially among young people,” said Murphy. “Florida ranks near the bottom in access to mental health treatment, and at my recent mental health advisory board meeting, we discussed the need to close gaps in the continuum of care so that families can get the help they need. These federal grants move us in the right direction and will help ensure young people in our area have the resources they need to live healthier lives.”

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U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy represents Florida’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she serves on the House Armed Services Committee and Small Business Committee. The district includes all of Seminole County and much of northern Orange County, including downtown Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park, and the University of Central Florida. Previously, Murphy was a businesswoman and college instructor who also served as a national security specialist in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where she received numerous awards, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. Murphy lives in Winter Park with her husband and two children.