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Novus Medical Detox Center

Pasco Sheriff launches unit to help mentally ill

July 3, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is launching a new unit aimed to better serve the needs of people facing significant mental health issues.

The new unit — called the Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT) — will feature six deputies, two caseworkers, a clinical social worker, a sergeant and a lieutenant, who will collaborate with local behavioral health providers to provide tailored, long-term programs for citizens in need.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is launching a new unit to better serve the needs of local citizens facing significant mental health issues. The Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT) will collaborate with local behavioral health partners to provide long-term care and criminal diversion to the county’s Baker Act repeats. (File)

The team’s primary task is to keep tabs on the county’s Baker Act repeats — through a proactive approach that includes frequent visitations, welfare checks, expedited behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs.

An individual struggling with addiction may be referred to outpatient substance abuse treatment, for instance. Or, someone undergoing financial struggles may be referred to Pasco County Human Services and the county’s homeless coalition.

The unit will have partnerships with BayCare Behavioral Health, Chrysalis Health, Novus Medical Detox Center, HCA Florida Hospitals, AdventHealth and others, “working towards a common goal in our community,” Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

The program ultimately will put the agency “ahead of the curve” in crime prevention, the sheriff said.

“We see mental health and substance abuse are the two drivers of criminal justice issues in our county. That’s why we’re creating this unit,” Nocco said.

It’s also about crisis mitigation, said Lt. Toni Roach, who will head up the MHTAT unit.

“Everybody has a baseline, and when they start to dip below that baseline we can provide some intervention strategies, connect them with a case manager or whatever other behavioral health resources are in the community that could help them stabilize,” Roach said.

The unit is expected to be up and running by October. It will cost roughly $1.5 million annually.

About 11 percent of the sheriff’s calls for service in 2018 were mental-health related.

That included roughly 3,400 Baker Act reports and more than 2,100 calls involving suicides or suicide attempts.

Of those reports, 503 individuals had multiple interactions with the agency, including some who’ve been Baker Acted as many as four or five times, Nocco said.

The MHTAT will be concentrating on the population who have had multiple interactions with the county, Nocco said. The unit will help divert those people from having to call 911 and thereby free patrol deputies to respond more quickly to urgent or violent calls.

As an example, the sheriff pointed out that, last year alone, one individual with a history of mental illness called county dispatch 124 times.

But, through a personal visit from the sheriff’s office back in May, those calls have stopped, the sheriff said.  “A lot of times they just need to talk to somebody. They just need somebody to help them out.”

“It’s all about connection,” added Roach. “Interacting with anybody is just that communication piece, being able to sit down with somebody and have a conversation with people, to listen to what’s going on, what are their concerns, what are their barriers.”

And, it’s those types of soft skills that will be required for those selected to the 11-person unit.

“It takes a special person to want to be in this unit,” Nocco said. “You want somebody that has that compassion and care. Somebody who says, ‘I’m not just going to be here for an hour, I might be here two to three hours working with somebody.’”

In recent years, the sheriff’s office has placed an emphasis on training law enforcement personnel to respond better to people who are mentally ill.

The office has an eight-hour foundational course in mental health first aid and a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program held quarterly in Shady Hills. About 50 percent of the agency’s patrol deputies are CIT certified.

Published July 03, 2019

Filed Under: Health, Local News Tagged With: AdventHealth, Baker Act, Baycare Behavioral Health, Chris Nocco, Chrysalis Health, Crisis Intervention Training, HCA Florida Hospitals, Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team, Novus Medical Detox Center, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Toni Roach

Medical marijuana is a need, some residents say

August 17, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Denise Houston is a cancer survivor who used cannabis to get through her debilitating radiation treatments.

She shared her story during an Aug. 9 Pasco County Commission meeting because she wanted commissioners to consider it, as they decide the future of medical marijuana within the county.

She was one of several speakers at the public hearing on a proposal to extend a ban on the growth, processing and dispensing of cannabis through the end of the year.

An existing ban is set to expire Sept. 2.

Cannabis is the basis for medical marijuana, which is legal in Florida in a low-level, non-euphoric form known as Charlotte’s web.

“It’s a life saver for some people,” Houston told commissioners. “I am one of those folks. I am a caregiver for one of those folks.”

Houston urged the board to not extend the ban and to instead open the door to medical marijuana in Pasco.

County commissioners won’t vote on the matter until a second public hearing scheduled Aug. 23 at 1:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.

County officials say the extended ban will allow more time to craft land use and zoning regulations.

One option would be to ban dispensaries. However, as a backup, commissioners also requested staff to write regulations restricting activities to industrial districts.

Complicating the matter is a Nov. 8 referendum when voters statewide will decide whether to allow stronger strains of medical marijuana and to expand the list of illnesses that can be treated with medical marijuana. Current law allows its use for cancer and seizure disorders.

Florida’s health department recently approved the first of six dispensaries qualified for permits. The first delivery of medical marijuana went to a man living in Hudson.

However, law enforcement and substance abuse counselors are wary of the expansion of medical marijuana.

Pasco County sheriff’s office has provided county commissioners with data on crime spikes in states, such as Colorado and California, which have approved either medical marijuana or its recreational use.

At the recent public hearing, representatives in the substance abuse prevention and treatment field spoke in favor of the moratorium.

Kent Runyon told commissioners of a visit to Seattle where he saw a billboard advertising a local marijuana farm. “It sounded like you’re going to a pumpkin farm picking pumpkins,” said Runyon, who is chief strategist and compliance officer at Novus Medical Detox Center in New Port Richey. “Is this the message we want for our youth and our children (that) it is something good, something embracing, something harmless?”

Still, the majority of speakers at the hearing urged commissioners to support medical marijuana as a health benefit and a potential source of tax revenue for the county.

Some farms in Pasco that are struggling could make money from growing cannabis, said Travis Moorehead. He also told commissioners he knew of people with prescription pill addictions, but marijuana “probably is one of the least dangerous things you could allow.”

Garyn Angel, chief executive officer of Angel Enterprises, described himself as a “world leader in the cannabis industry.” He invented a machine to extract nutrients from botanicals as a way to help a friend with Crohn’s disease, and now owns Magical Butter, a company that sells his invention.

Angel said he has partnered with university researchers to learn about cannabis and its health benefits. “It is one of the greatest anti-inflammatories we have,” he said. “Inflammation is at the root of most diseases, especially in the gut.”

He suggested to commissioners that Pasco could become a hub for the medical marijuana industry, benefiting patients and boosting the county’s economy.

“The dollars are coming,” he said. “It’s going to happen. Let’s embrace it …let’s be a flagship.”

But, money wasn’t the issue foremost for Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells.

“This is personal to me. I have a friend now with stage three cancer,” he said. “The only thing that can help him is to smoke marijuana. The law says he can’t do that.”

Wells and Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey requested a workshop so that they could learn more information from all sides of the issue.

“It’s just a subject I don’t know a lot about,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot of different compelling stories from both ends. It’s incumbent upon us to get more educated.”

A workshop likely will be scheduled in September.

Published August 17, 2016

Filed Under: Health, Local News Tagged With: Angel Enterprises, Denise Houston, Garyn Angel, Kathryn Starkey, Kent Runyon, Mike Wells, New Port Richey, Novus Medical Detox Center, Pasco County Commission

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February 23, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

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03/08/2021 – Tomato garden

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a video on how to grow a tomato garden. Those interested can view the video at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary, all day, on March 8. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email . … [Read More...] about 03/08/2021 – Tomato garden

03/09/2021 – Grilled cheese

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a video on how to make green grilled cheese on March 9 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. To view the video, visit the Library Cooperative on Facebook or Instagram. … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Grilled cheese

03/09/2021 – Poetry discussion

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a virtual poetry discussion group on “Female Power!” on March 9 at 6:30 p.m., for ages 16 and older, via Zoom. Participants can share a favorite poem or take part in discussions on poems about women or written by women poets. Themed poems will be sent out to help with the session. Registration is required. For information, contact Amaris Papadopoulos at 727-861-3020 or . … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Poetry discussion

03/09/2021 – Technology Tuesday

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer a Technology Tuesday: Robots & Machines on March 9, through a curbside pickup activity. The kit will help kids learn more about technology, from robots to coding, through online and hands-on activities. The pickup is limited to 35 participants and must be reserved ahead of time. A book bundle can be included. Kits must be picked up between March 9 at 10 a.m., and March 13 at 5 p.m. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Technology Tuesday

03/10/2021 – Fandom trivia

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present Fandom Trivia: High School Musical on March 10 at 4 p.m., for grades eight to 12. Participants can test their knowledge of the High School Musical movies. Registration is required. For information, contact Amaris Papadopoulos at 727-861-3020 or . … [Read More...] about 03/10/2021 – Fandom trivia

03/10/2021 – Student-author book signing

Marchman Technical College, 7825 Campus Drive in New Port Richey, will host a socially distanced book signing with student-author and illustrator Chris Angilell on March 10 at 10 a.m. Angilella is a first-time author who has Asperger's Syndrome. He wrote the book, "Dotty's Freckles," to "inspire people who have a disability, hoping to send a message that they are exceptional and can accomplish anything," according to a news release. The book was independently published last August and can be purchased on Kindle or in paperback through Amazon. The book signing will be outdoors. Masks will be required. Angilella will sign books for attendees who bring their own copies. A limited number of paperbacks also will be for sale at the event. … [Read More...] about 03/10/2021 – Student-author book signing

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