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Baycare Behavioral Health

Speakers address mental health needs

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Suicide prevention and partnerships between law enforcement and mental health providers were the focus of talks delivered in a Zoom Session, on May 11, hosted by Saint Leo University’s East Pasco Education Center.

Sarah Shirina, licensed supervisor of behavioral health with BayCare Behavioral Health, shared her expertise on the topic of suicide prevention, while also discussing local services that are available to help people struggling with mental illness.

Sarah Shirina addressed suicide prevention during a speaker series hosted by Saint Leo University. (Courtesy of University of Saint Leo)

Shirina is the supervisor over BayCare Behavioral Health’s mobile response team in Hernando County.

She’s also an adjunct professor for Saint Leo University, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from the university.

She began by sharing national suicide data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Suicide, unfortunately, is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming over 48,000 lives.

“Suicide was the second-leading cause of death in individuals, between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death, among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54,” she said.

“There were actually 2½ times as many suicides in the United States as there were homicides, in 2018.

“So, what does that look like for our state? In 2019, Florida had a total of 3,427 deaths by suicide.

“In Florida, suicide is the eighth-leading cause of death,” Shirina said, adding the age group of 55 to 64 is most affected.

Shirina shared information derived from a research project by BayCare Behavioral Health and the University of South Florida, focusing on suicide in the Tampa Bay region.

Hot spots have been identified in all five counties in the Tampa Bay area, Shirina said.

“Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas, unfortunately, are all ahead and have higher averages of suicide deaths than the state of Florida.

“You’ll see that all of Florida had a total of 15 deaths per 100,000. And Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas are all in the 20s (per 100,000),” she said.

“Suicide affects men at a much greater percentage than it does women.

The study found that from 2010 to 2016, the suicide rate for men was twice as great as it was for women, she said.

“As our age groups increase, our military population is at a greater risk to be affected by suicide,” she added.

One of the big conclusions of the research was that Pasco, Hernando and Pinellas bear a disproportionate burden of death by suicide, in comparison to the state and surrounding counties, Shirina said.

Another conclusion: These are the same counties that bear the burden of the opioid addiction crisis.

She also noted that “80% of people who died by suicide had never had an involuntary examination, also known as the Baker Act.

“This, to me, was an alarming statistic,” Shirina said.

Among those who had undergone a Baker Act examination, 60% of those who died by suicide did so one or more years after their involuntary examination.

The study also found that middle- and older-aged white men had the highest rates of suicide, and among those who died by suicide, many had military backgrounds.

The research showed that guns were the most common method of suicide by men in all five counties.

By comparison, in Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, more women died by overdose than did by guns, Shirina said.

“So, what can we do to help those who may be struggling?” Shirina asked.

Safety planning can help.

“When we’re safety planning with someone, we’re identifying their warning signs, their triggers and their stressful events that could lead to a crisis. We’re discussing with that person what they can do, what coping skills they can use to feel better.

“We’re discussing their support network. Who can they call when they need help? Who can they lean on?

“If possible, we often use that support network, when we’re creating these safety plans,” she said.

“We talk about what they look forward to in the future. What is important to them and what is worth living for? This is a great reminder, when someone is having these deep thoughts, that there are things in their future that they look forward to, and really, what is worth living for?

“We give a copy of this plan to them and to their support system, if possible, and we encourage them to keep it somewhere safe, so they can use it when they’re feeling upset,” Shirina said.

Dawn Wever addressed efforts being made to help mentally ill people get the help they need, instead of being locked up in jail.

Dawn Wever, the second speaker during the session, is a practicing mental health counselor.

She’s been an instructor in Crisis Intervention Team training for a number of law enforcement agencies. She’s also been a presenter on the topic at state conferences, is a former board member for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hernando and has done considerable research on collaborations between law enforcement and mental health professionals.

One in five Americans are affected by mental illness in any given year, according to statistics from NAMI, Wever said. That equates to approximately 57.7 million Americans living with mental illness. Of those, just 41% will receive treatment in any given year.

Research also shows that the average length of time from initial diagnosis to the onset of treatment is 10 years, she said.

She shared the story of the Memphis Police Department Crisis Intervention Team, which in later years came to be known as the Memphis Model.

The model stemmed from a 1987 incident in which police officers were called to an area of public housing in Memphis, where a young man was threatening with a knife, she said. Police officers ordered him to put down the knife. He refused. Eventually, police opened fire and the man was killed, she said.

“The mayor of Memphis turned to local advocates from NAMI and enlisted police, community mental health professionals, university leaders, hospital administrators, church officials to find a new approach to working with persons with mental illness, who are in crisis,” she said.

The approach involves a 40-hour, weeklong training for officers, deputies, detention personnel and dispatch, as well, regarding the recognition and understanding of signs and symptoms of mental illness, and focuses on verbal, de-escalation techniques, said Wever, who holds a master of arts/psychology from Saint Leo University.

Encounters between police and the mentally ill began increasing after the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric facilities began happening in the 1980s and 1990s, she said.

The expectation was that community-based mental health care facilities would provide treatment to those individuals released from psychiatric hospitals. Instead, county jails have become the largest mental health facilities in the country, added Wever, who has been in private practice since 2012.

The Rand Corporation estimated in 2020 that 15% of the men and 31% of the women incarcerated across the country have a serious and persistent mental illness, Wever said.

According to NAMI estimates, at least 400,000 currently behind bars in the United States suffer from some type of mental illness, Wever added. The organization also estimates that 25% to 40% of all mentally ill Americans will be incarcerated at some point in their lives.

She told Zoom listeners about a mental health unit operated by the San Antonio (Texas) Police Department .

“That’s regarded as one of the best law enforcement-based mental health units in the country,” she said.

“It was established in 2008 and to date, they have maintained zero use of force in a mental health call for service,” Wever said.

Shirina and Wever gave the final two presentations during a Social Services Speaker Series, which began on April 13.

Besides being informative, the series was intended to give participants exposure to a wide range of career opportunities in the helping professions.

To find out more about Saint Leo University’s East Pasco Education Center, email Derek Saunier, center director, at  or call 352-588-7451.

Warning signs of suicide

  • Increased alcohol and drug use
  • Aggressive behavior
  • Withdrawal from friends, family and community
  • Dramatic mood swings
  • Impulsive or reckless behavior
  • Collecting and saving pills or buying a weapon
  • Giving away possessions
  • Tying up loose ends, like organizing personal papers or paying off debts
  • Saying goodbye to friends and family

Suicidal behaviors are a psychiatric emergency. If you or a loved one exhibits these behaviors, seek immediate help from a health care provider or call 911.

If you are unsure, a licensed mental health professional can help assess.

Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Suicide Myths
Sarah Shirina, licensed supervisor of behavioral health with BayCare Behavioral Health, discussed some myths about suicide during a recent Zoom presentation hosted by the University of Saint Leo.

Here’s an excerpt from what she shared:

Myth: Talking about suicide or asking someone if they feel suicidal will encourage suicide attempts.

Fact: Talking about suicide provides the opportunity for communication. Fears that are shared are more likely to diminish.

Myth: People who talk about suicide never attempt or die by suicide.

Fact: Talking about suicide can be a plea for help, and it can be a late sign in the progression toward a suicide attempt. Those who are most at risk will show other signs, apart from talking about suicide.

Myth: If a person attempts suicide and survives, they will never make a further attempt.

Fact: A suicide attempt is regarded as an indicator of further attempts. It is likely that the level of danger will increase with each further suicide attempt. Just because someone has attempted suicide previously does not mean they are no longer at risk of attempting in the future.

Myth: Once a person has suicidal intent, there is no way of stopping them.

Fact: This is so far from the truth because suicides can be prevented. People can be helped. Suicidal crises can be relatively short-lived. Immediate practical help, such as staying with the person, encouraging them to talk and helping them build plans for the future can avert an intention to attempt or die by suicide. Such immediate help is valuable at the time of a crisis, but appropriate counseling also will be needed.

Need help?
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255.
Call 2-1-1 for additional resources.

Want to help?
BayCare offers free Mental Health First Aid Training. To find out more, call 800-878-5470.

Published June 09, 2021

Pasco Sheriff beefs up mental health services

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Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco is ramping up efforts to address mental health issues, in his agency’s daily work.

The sheriff explained his team’s approach to those attending the September breakfast meeting of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Nocco said mental health issues are expanding in a way that affects public safety, during remarks to dozens of chamber members at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco was the featured guest speaker at The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce September breakfast meeting at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

About 11 percent of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s calls for service last year were mental-health related, which equates to approximately 19,000 calls.

But, Nocco estimates the figure is even higher because the agency data doesn’t take into account calls that are related to overdoses, runaways, domestic violence linked to addiction and substance abuse, and other incidents possibly rooted in mental illness.

“I can tell you,” Nocco said, “roughly 20 percent of our calls for service are mental-health related.

“The meat of what we deal with is mental health and substance abuse issues,” Nocco said, “so what we’re doing is identifying the highest usage of individuals that have mental health issues and are consistently calling us.”

In an attempt “to get ahead of the curve,” the sheriff’s office has implemented some new approaches, Nocco said.

Foremost among them is the agency’s new Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT), he said. The unit consists of 15 sworn personnel and Baycare Behavioral Health case managers, aimed to better serve the needs of people facing significant mental health issues.

The team’s primary task is to keep tabs on individuals who have been held involuntarily in a mental health treatment facility for up to 72 hours, through a state law known as the Baker Act. They focus on approximately 500 people who are Baker Act repeats.

The team uses a proactive approach that includes frequent visitations, welfare checks, expedited behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs.

By getting to the “root issues” of problems and offering resources, the unit will help reduce the number of calls to 911 — thereby enabling patrol deputies to respond more quickly to urgent or violent calls, Nocco said.

Another unit component includes threat assessments and interventions for troubled students in the school system  —  as a measure to prevent school violence acts, or school shootings.

The county’s most at-risk kids are identified with assistance from school resource officers and the agency’s Child Protective Investigations Divisions, the sheriff said.

The at-risk kids typically include runaways, students with frequent school changes, those with prior run-ins with law enforcement or those with parents under child welfare investigations, he said.

The idea is to provide early intervention to help prevent future problems, Nocco said.

“I’m not saying we’re going to be perfect. There’s always that lone wolf, that one individual that just decides to do something, but, for the majority of people, if we can be smart about how we operate, we’re going to be way more successful.”

In Nocco’s opinion, the general rise of mental illness is tied to the proliferation of the digital age and the rise of social media. He displayed his own smartphone and said: “These are destroying us.”

The sheriff also noted that his agency is working to reduce the recidivism rate for inmates at the Land O’ Lakes detention center.

To that end, the jail has various inmate labor programs and vocational programs, including a welding program that allows inmates to get certified skills, with the aim of equipping them for jobs upon their release.

Said Nocco: “There are people that have addictions or people that have gone through problems  that made bad decisions, but now this is the first time in the jail that they actually get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, they’re actually doing work, they’re actually going, ‘Huh, if I do this I can succeed.’”

The sheriff also shared some other information about his department, including:

  • A memorandum of understanding his agency has with the City of Zephyrhills to operate a portion of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in emergencies and natural disasters, such as hurricanes. The agency will use the location to distribute various resources (food, water, first aid supplies, etc.) throughout the county.
  • The K9 Tactical Center/Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F.I.R.S.T.) is expected to have some of its first operations up and running by next spring. Construction on Land O’ Lakes-based forensics research and training center campus began in September 2018. The $4.3 million state-funded project is designed to provide “a holistic approach” to crime scene operations and investigations, as a collaborative resource for universities, forensic scientists and law enforcement.

Published September 11, 2019

Symposium seeks addiction recovery solutions

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A symposium is scheduled for later this month that will seek to create a blueprint for improving long-term substance abuse recovery efforts in Pasco County.

The Recover Out Loud Pasco Symposium is set for Sept. 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Calvary Chapel Worship Center, 6825 Trouble Creek Road in New Port Richey.

Admission is free.

The symposium is being organized by Recovery Epicenter Foundation, a newly licensed and accredited recovery community organization operating out of Trinity.

The symposium will seek to engage individuals, stakeholders and community leaders in an effort “to grow community-oriented initiatives, cultivate community allies, and develop recovery peer-based programs,” according to the event’s flyer.

Its keynote speaker is Dona Dmitrovic, executive director of Las Vegas-based Foundation for Recovery and former National Director of Consumer Affairs for Substance Use Disorders at Optum, United Health Group.

Other noted speakers include:

  • Tina Levene, motivational speaker and published author on abuse and addictions
  • Pasco Sheriff’s Office Lt. Toni Roach, who heads the agency’s Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) and Mental Health and Threat Assessment (MHAT) teams
  • Sara Mollo, Sixth Judicial Circuit chief assistant public defender
  • Former Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Lynn Tepper
  • Sarah Cobelli, Baycare Behavioral Health program manager
  • Ginny LaRue, Florida Alcohol & Drug Abuse Foundation recovery project director

Additionally, the symposium will feature interactive café conversations about which recovery-related services are working in the community and what needs more support, along with a series of panel discussions from people in recovery and existing recovery community organizations throughout Florida.

Thoughts and input gathered from the symposium will be incorporated into the Recovery Epicenter Foundation’s visioning process in November to better define action steps for recovery-based programming, said Recovery Epicenter Foundation RCO director Rachel Starostin.

“The whole thing is we want to get the community together,” said Starostin, who expects anywhere from 200 to 300 attendees at the symposium. “The community benefits when we all collaborate together.”

Trinity-based Recovery Epicenter Foundation is hosting a symposium to help find ways to improve long-term substance abuse recovery efforts in Pasco County. The Recover Out Loud Pasco Symposium is set for Sept. 28. (Courtesy of Recovery Epicenter Foundation)

Starostin said the Recovery Epicenter Foundation’s “ultimate goal” is to build a peer-run, recovery-oriented community center to facilitate programs in the way of employment assistance, transportation, health and wellness, recreational opportunities, independent support groups and so on.

“We’re like building a shell out of something that needs to exist. We’re building something out of nothing,” she said.

“It’s kind of an abstract concept, when you don’t have a building and trying to plan out the future,” she said.

Starostin emphasized the need for such a recovery facility to help people “rebuild their lives” once they get out of addiction treatment. That assistance may initially include assisting them with “locatable, tangible resources,” such as basic medical care, living shelters, food stamps and more.

Starostin put it like this: “As a general rule, until you meet somebody’s basic needs, they’re not really receptive to listen. Like, how well do you focus when you’re hungry and you haven’t eaten in two days?”

Meanwhile, Starostin said the upstart recovery community organization is looking to mobilize more peer specialists to help with implementing various recovery programs. Peer specialists, or peer coaches, are people who have been successful in the recovery process who help others battling addiction through shared experience, understanding, respect and mutual empowerment.

Said Starostin, “There’s something magical when one peer who’s suffered from substance use works with another. You identify with them, you trust them, and it’s not like a 12-step program, you help somebody kind of come up with their own plan.”

Recovery Epicenter Foundation’s recovery community organization operates as an independent, nonprofit entity — led and governed by representatives of local communities of recovery.

Its mission is to support recovery through advocacy, education and peer-to-peer support services, to improve outcomes for persons seeking drugs and alcohol addictions.

Guidance and technical assistance on the Recovery Epicenter Foundation recovery community organization’s development process is coming from the Florida Recovery Project/Faces & Voices of Recovery, with collaboration from Florida Alcohol & Drug Abuse Foundation, Florida Department of Children and Families, and Peer Support Coalition of Florida.

An initial community listening session for the recovery community organization was held in February at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, followed by a symposium planning session.

The sessions have already brought together dozens of stakeholders, including persons in recovery and professionals in health care, criminal justice, faith-based organizations and others.

“When we started this process, there wasn’t a whole lot of momentum behind it, but we’re getting it; people are getting involved and they’re starting to understand,” Starostin said.

To register for the symposium, visit tinyurl.com/yygu9e3s.

For information, contact Rachel Starostin at or (727) 255-2036.

Published September 11, 2019

Pasco Sheriff launches unit to help mentally ill

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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

Can human connection heal?

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Austin Eubanks remembered with clarity the tragic day that forever changed his life, and, ultimately claimed it.

His best friend was killed instantly in front of him.

Then Eubanks was shot twice, in the hand and knee.

Eubanks was just 17 years old when he experienced and survived the massacre inside the library of Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Columbine shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention’ in Wesley Chapel. He passed away just days later at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at age 37. (Courtesy of AustinEubanks.com)

“I remember seeing my hand and knowing that I had been shot, but I couldn’t feel it,” Eubanks recalled. “I couldn’t connect to the emotion of it, or the physical pain of it, because I wasn’t present in my own body.”

That traumatic experience as a teen, as a survivor in the Columbine school shooting, was the catalyst to Eubanks’ painful journey through addiction and eventually into long-term recovery.

Eubanks put it like this: “I will never be the person I was on the morning of April 20, 1999. That boy did not walk out of the library that day. He was altered, forever.”

Eubanks shared his personal story as the keynote speaker at the annual “Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” held May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The conference, hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health, is designed to increase public awareness and inspire action on mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Just a few days after the conference, the speaker was found dead from a suspected drug overdose at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was 37.

In a statement, his family said Eubanks “lost the battle with the very disease he fought so hard to help others face. Helping to build a community of support is what meant the most to Austin, and we plan to continue his work.”

ASAP also expressed its sympathy on Eubanks’ passing in a released statement: “We extend our thoughts and prayers to Austin’s family and friends. Although he has passed too early, his voice will echo in our memories and actions forever.”

Before his untimely death, Eubanks addressed a crowd of nearly 500 people, to discuss the intersection of trauma, mental illness and addiction.

‘An emotional robot’
Shortly after the school shooting, Eubanks was prescribed opiates, benzodiazepines and stimulants for his physical injuries. He soon found the drugs helped him in other ways.

“From the moment I was medicated, that emotion (from Columbine) completely shut off. It was like somebody turned off a faucet,” Eubanks explained.

Nearly 500 people attended the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,’ hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health. Columbine school shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the May 14 event, at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. (Kevin Weiss)

“I learned very quickly how to turn myself into an emotional robot, with the combination of those three substances. I thought that I had found the answer, I never had to feel anything. I was taught how to seek the fast road to relief.”

Years later, at the height of his addiction, Eubanks said he was using upwards of 400 milligrams of the painkiller OxyContin per day, plus a host of other recreational drugs.

His drug of choice, he admitted, was “just more.”

Emotional healing through human connection
After a decade more of undergoing a cycle of addiction and relapse, Eubanks said he finally received the help he needed, at a long-term treatment center in Denver that accepted him free of charge.

It’s there he found the prescription he needed most: authentic human connection.

The treatment center helped him navigate the stages of grief through meaningful, personal relationships with others with similar, lived experiences.

“With emotional pain, in order to heal it, you have to feel it. It is essential to recovery,” Eubanks said.

He added: “What is so essential for emotional healing for all of us, is relying on others from a place of vulnerability and authenticity and transparency.”

The environment also provided him with structure and accountability, too, he said.

Eubanks said, “I had to finally admit that I knew nothing, and I had to trust somebody else enough to believe that they did, and I did everything that they told me to for long enough to where it became a pattern.”

Eubanks explained that after Columbine he didn’t return to school for his senior year, instead relied on a private tutor from home in order to graduate. The decision isolated himself from others, leaving him to rely on substances to cope with his emotional pain.

“I withdrew from human connection entirely. If you can create a better petri dish for addiction, I don’t know what it is,” the speaker said.

“I missed out on a lot of the collaborative, connected healing that many of my classmates experienced in our senior year, because I withdrew from that community entirely.”

Prevention and rehabilitation reforms needed
Eubanks discussed his ideas to combat the nation’s addiction crisis, which he blamed partly on increased accessibility, acceptability and toxicity of various substances.

The speaker called for greater efforts in implementing more systems of prevention and rehabilitation to curtail the demand for drugs.

He challenged the medical community to do a better job of integrating physical health and mental health. He also challenged the education community to put more focus on nurturing emotional intelligence in early childhood education, to increase the ability to relate to other people.

Eubanks then called for greater accessibility to long-term treatment for those who cannot afford its services. He also said the criminal justice system needs to place more emphasis on rehabilitation programs, specifically, by providing inmates a therapeutic continuum of care and teaching them pro-social behaviors.

Said Eubanks, “Drugs are always going to exist. We cannot eradicate these issues by combating them on the supply side. We have to curtail the demand.”

In addition to Eubanks, the conference featured presentations from Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco; Gail Ryder, Baycare Health Systems vice president of behavioral health; and Roderick Cunningham, Drug Enforcement Agency outreach program manager.

There was also a series of breakout sessions that focused on substance abuse prevention and recovery efforts, among other topics.

Published May 29, 2019

A home welcomes Zephyrhills’ impoverished

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There’s an open-door policy to whomever walks in the Samaritan Project of Zephyrhills Inc., with economic struggles weighing them down.

The organization has become a fixture in Zephyrhills to combat the continuing cycle of homelessness.

Established in 2008, the agency was in response to those already living on the streets, or on the verge.

The Samaritan Project works to get its name out to the community in helping the homeless. Pedro Molina and Roxxy Geisenheimer advocate on behalf of the organization at Zephyr Park. (Courtesy of the Samaritan Project of Zephyrhills Inc.)

Roxxy Geisenheimer is the executive director for the Samaritan Project and has been with the agency for the past two years.

“This organization was founded to stop the domino effect that happens when people experience traumas, tragedies or unforeseen circumstances,” she explained.

The director added that Zephyrhills saw a need for a “one-stop shop resource center.”

In turn, its office has a donation pantry where the less fortunate can come to collect food boxes, hygienic products and comb through racks of clothing.

The Samaritan Project staff also sits down with individuals to assess their situation and refer them to the proper resources.

Some may need things as simple as identification cards or bus passes, while others’ needs are more urgent.

In pinpointing the necessary resources, the agency works with the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County, among other organizations, in what is known as the Continuum of Care.

Under this program, local institutions collaborate in collecting data to ultimately house the homeless and take preventive measures.

One such partnership the Samaritan Project has is with United Way of Pasco County.

Together they have established an agreement with Duke Energy to help clientele with past due electric bills.

Homeless veterans and their loved ones are referred to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families to help get on track to stable housing.

And, while the Samaritan Project has a psychologist on staff, there are those whose mental instability prevents them from properly articulating their needs.

In these cases, they may be sent for treatment to such places as Premier Community HealthCare, BayCare Behavioral Health or the North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital.

Agency staff is also ready to drive people to their needed destinations, if necessary.

The collaborations go both ways as the Samaritan Project also receives referrals from local hospitals, law enforcement and churches, Geisenheimer said.

“We all try to share information and resources the best we can, and wrap around people who are struggling,” she added.

Job counselors help to get some on the road to employment, and disability attorneys advocate for those who cannot work.

Guardians ad Litem also support parents in the courtroom to reunite with their children when living conditions begin to improve.

However, not everyone who walks through the agency’s door comes from a cycle of poverty.

Samaritan Project staff members often go outdoors to befriend the homeless and help to get them on their feet. From left, front: Karen Greene, Carol Greene and Roxxy Geisenheimer; and, back: Paul Bathrick and Lawrence Vickstrom are several of the friendly faces found at the agency’s office.

“We work with people who, at one point, did very well for themselves,” the director said.

She noted that currently employed individuals, such as electricians, health care workers and teachers, also find themselves homeless.

From 2013 to 2017, the average household income in Zephyrhills was only an estimated $35,100 and the current poverty rate stands at 20 percent (of the population), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

While some with jobs make a steady income, it may not be enough to keep them in their home – or even put down a security deposit.

In turn, the agency offers the Rent/Utility Assistance Program.

This initiative grants funds to help pay the rent or mortgage short-term, while trying to find a long-term solution.

“We try to help them figure out ‘how do we prevent this from being a problem next month,’” Geisenheimer explained.

With the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter program, staff will be on call 24 hours a day.

When the temperature drops below a certain level, displaced individuals are taken to safe shelters, whether a gymnasium or a hotel room.

To support its efforts, several grants are given from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Florida Department of Children and Families.

However, most of the agency’s funding comes from community donations, like businesses, churches or individuals, the director said.

Although Geisenheimer has seen various demographics seek help, she said she’s most surprised by the amount of elderly people who are homeless.

She recalled once helping a wheelchair-bound woman in her 80s make the transition from the woods to being placed in an assisted living facility.

That too, is what staff will do once closing up the office – street outreach. The agency sets out to find those in the woods or in abandoned buildings.

And, while they offer assistance to get people off the street, they will help set up tents for those not quite ready to leave the outdoors.

This is understandable to staff that volunteer, as they were, at one point, in the position as those they serve.

Geisenheimer, herself, was struggling years ago to find a stable home when she was pregnant.

She stated that staff members offer others not sympathy but empathy, noting:

“They know when they walk through the door, that they’re not being judged.”

What’s more, the agency does not operate in a plaza or off a main road, but within a residential area.

Its office is a renovated, two-bedroom house, which adds to a welcoming atmosphere, the director said.

She said that those who are displaced should remain hopeful that their situation is temporary.

And, by stepping through the front door of the office, that hope can become a reality.

For additional information or help, call (813) 810-8670, or visit Facebook.com/SamaritanProjectZephyrhills.

Published May 29, 2019

Seminars aim to empower Pasco women

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The first of a three-part series aimed to advance the interests of Pasco County women took place on March 4 at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, on Collier Parkway.

All of the meetings, being presented by the Pasco County Commission on the Status of Women and the Pasco County Commission, are being held at the library, and are free and open to the public.

The theme of the first part of the series was “Health and Wellness.”

Sarah Cobelli, of BayCare Behavioral Health, was one of the speakers who took part in a presentation on ‘Health and Wellness’ hosted by the Pasco County Commission on the Status of Women, on March 4 at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, on Collier Parkway. (Brian Fernandes)

Guest speakers Mike Napier, of the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, and Sarah Cobelli, of BayCare Behavioral Health, shared pertinent information relating to women’s health issues.

“Virtually everything we do at the health department is in partnership with someone else,” explained Napier, administrator for the Florida Department of Health — Pasco County.

The department works with Moffitt Cancer Center, Premier Community Healthcare Group and other partners.

They work to bring awareness to issues such as cervical and breast cancer, and provide information about treatment options.

The department also receives government funding, which is used to provide screenings.

Efforts also are being made to prevent the spread of Hepatitis A, and the health department is receiving assistance in this effort from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Napier said.

Through this collaboration, vaccinations are offered in the jail system, Napier explained.

“The good news is, it’s almost 97 percent – after you’ve had those shots – that you’ll be immune to any Hepatitis A,” Napier said.

Napier also advocates child vaccination for Hepatitis A and for the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Napier dispelled the notion that HPV is always linked to physical intercourse, stating that the stigma makes parents hesitant about vaccinating their children.

Teenage pregnancy, however, is a reality that the department addresses through its family planning program.

“It’s very difficult when we see moms coming in at 16-17 [and] trying to get them to finish school,” Napier said. “We’ve got to do something about that.”

The program offers testing, counseling and various contraceptive methods.

It also works in conjunction with schools to make sure students are well-educated and have a resource to call for help.

Tobacco use is another area of local concern, Napier pointed out.

“Unfortunately, Pasco County continues to have some of the highest smoking rates in the state,” the administrator said.

As of last year, 21 percent of adult Pasco residents were chronic smokers, according to the health department.

It also noted in a 2013 study that 22 percent of women in the county were smokers – significantly in the 18 to 44 age range.

The health department is working with medical institutions to distribute and collect health surveys.

The effort allows hospitals and other health care facilities to share medical information, and to better identify health trends based on demographics.

“It’s going to be consistent with all the hospitals and the health industry, to be able to say, ‘We all see the same data and now we’re going to try to act on that data,’” Napier stated.

The administrator also noted that providing mental health care to women who need it remains challenging.

Cobelli provided a presentation focused on behavioral health and substance abuse among women.

As a program manager for BayCare, she oversees community-based services for both children and adults.

“One of the newer additions to BayCare – within the last couple of years – is behavioral health integration, that especially females find comfort in,” Cobelli said.

This program is a convenient means for women to see their primary care physician and speak with a mental health counselor within the same office.

Another outreach program allows nurses, with a mobile medical unit, to go outdoors informing the homeless about medical resources and housing that may be available to them.

There’s also outreach to teenage mothers.

With the help of case managers, another state-funded program provides intervention for pregnant or postpartum women struggling with substance abuse.

For the 2018 fiscal year, Cobelli stated: “About 65 percent of the women that are enrolled have a primary diagnosis of an opioid disorder.”

There are also services available to women outside the program to help with essentials, such as car seats, strollers and baby formula.

BayCare encourages women with substance abuse, who are coming out of jail, to attend its group meetings three times a week.

With the Alternatives to Incarceration Pasco program, BayCare works with the Sheriff’s Office to establish special services for those with substance disorders.

The second part of the series, focused on Economic Prosperity, will be held on April 8.

The third part of the series, focused on Safety and Access, will be presented on May 6.

For more information visit, PascoCountyFL.net/2662/Commission-on-Status-of-Women.

Women’s lecture series presented by the Pasco County Commission on the Status of Women and the Pasco County Commission
Where: Land O’ Lakes Library meeting room, 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
When: Upcoming sessions are planned on Economic Prosperity on April 8 and Safety & Access on May 6. Both sessions start at 2:30 p.m.
Cost: Free to public
Details: A series of presentations from guest speakers will discuss educating and advancing Pasco County women
Info: Visit PascoCountyFL.net/2662/Commission-on-Status-of-Women. 

Published March 20, 2019

Pasco Schools seeks to address students’ mental health needs

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Pasco County Schools is searching for additional ways to better serve its students’ mental health needs.

As part of that effort, the school system brought together student services staff and community mental health providers on May 4 for the district’s first-ever Mental Health Symposium. The seminar’s aim was to raise awareness of students’ mental health, build capacity of staff to respond, and increase collaboration between schools and mental health providers.

The daylong event featured a panel discussion on mental health, plus a series of breakout sessions, which covered such topics as eating disorders, anxiety, school-based violence prevention, trauma reduction and supporting recovery, non-suicidal self-injury, connecting mental health services, and so on.

Pasco County Schools’ first annual Mental Health Symposium featured a panel discussion and breakout sessions concerning eating disorders, anxiety, school-based violence prevention, trauma reduction and supporting recovery, non-suicidal self-injury, and connecting mental health services. (Kevin Weiss)

About 280 student services staff — school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, school nurses and dropout prevention teachers — participated in a morning or afternoon session, said Dave Chamberlin, Pasco Schools student services supervisor.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning kicked off the event with a brief introduction, during which he underscored the necessity of the district to provide quality education and to meet students’ mental health needs.

“We have got to be singularly focused on meeting those social and emotional needs of our kids,” Browning said, “before they can even learn to do mathematics or science.”

The symposium, which coincided with Mental Health Awareness Month, was at the district’s offices. Planning for it began in September.

In the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 17 dead, Browning noted there’s been a renewed emphasis on mental health, and student and staff well-being.

Offering one possible solution of his own, Browning stated he’s a “huge proponent” of trauma-informed care, an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.

“We’ve got to get out and educate our teachers — training our teachers and school-based staff about trauma informed care,” the superintendent said.

That suggestion, among many others, was presented during the hour-long panel discussion featuring community mental health providers, a student, and a parent with experience interacting with the system of care.

Access, awareness and availability of mental health services seem to be ongoing barriers, panelists suggested.

Helping younger children
There’s a great need for more pediatric psychiatrists and pediatric bed space in the county, said Craig Leech, program manager for the Land O’ Lakes-based Morton Plant North Bay Hospital Recovery Center.

Leech explained the recovery facility is only able to utilize 20 of its 25 pediatric beds at a time, and there’s oftentimes a waiting list of several days for children to get the mental services and treatment. “At any given day, we are full and do not have bed space. We are the only pediatric receiving facility in Pasco County,” he said.

Another panelist, Doug Leonardo, senior vice president of Chrysalis Health, said more flexibility is needed in providing mental health services for children.

He advocates conducting school behavioral health screenings to flag potential mental health problems with students at a younger age.

“We need to do a better job at getting upstream of these issues. We have universal screenings in schools for hearing and speech…I don’t know why we would not want to do the same things for mental health issues,” he said.

Leonardo, who’s helped provide mental health and substance abuse in Pasco County and other areas for more than 20 years, also supports creating more community partnerships among schools, law enforcement and mental health professionals.

He emphasized the importance of encouraging parents to be unafraid to seek help for their children who may suffer from mental illness.

“We can treat the kids but, if we don’t have the parents engaged and bought in and helped, it doesn’t really work, so we really need that family system to be involved,” the health professional said.

While health experts described some of community resources available to youth, many students are unaware of what’s available to them, Anclote High senior Emily Leopardi said.

Leopardi overcame a broken home and dysfunctional family life, and is on track to graduate high school and attend Hillsborough Community College in the fall. Growing up, she was fortunate to receive counseling and assistance from Youth and Family Alternatives Inc., and Baycare Behavioral Health.

“I would like to see more support in the schools that focus on mental health, and resources for students like myself who’s family life is challenging. …Without the help of these providers, students like myself can fall through the cracks,” she said.

Other panelists, including moderator Monica Rousseau, said reducing the stigma associated to mental health problems must remain a focus.

Rousseau, coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), referenced a study that more Americans are starting to understand mental illness is very much a chronic illness, like any other physical illness; yet more and more people are associating mental illness with violent tendencies, she said.

“We have shootings, we have a lot of big news stories that are really skewing the way people view people with mental illness, so it’s really important to be stomping out that stigma,” Rousseau said.

Some issues related to children’s mental health services might soon be mitigated with the recent passing of Senate Bill 7026 (“Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act”).

Besides its various school safety mandates, the new law creates mental health assistance allocation for every school district in Florida.

It also requires school districts to deliver a plan focused on delivering evidence-based mental health treatment, assessment, diagnose, intervention services and so on.

For school districts like Pasco, it marks a “big sea change,” Leonardo said.

“We’re going to start asking school districts to do things that I think, historically, they haven’t focused on doing. It probably happens sporadically, but now it’s being mandated,” Leonardo said.

With a solid foundation and framework, and an influx of funds from the new law, Leonardo noted the district and county as a whole is “in a really good position to make some meaningful changes.”

Published May 9, 2018

Shedding light on depression, mental illness

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Tracy Daniels knows what it’s like to battle mental health issues.

A retired combat war veteran, Daniels spent seven years in therapy following his second tour in Iraq.

Following a 37-year military career, Daniels now seeks to help others who are dealing with mental health issues.

Tracy Daniels, a master-level practitioner at Baycare Behavioral Health, was the featured speaker as part of a depression awareness seminar at Pasco-Hernando State College. He discussed issues regarding depression and other mental disorders, including how to recognize signs and symptoms of depression, risk factors and ways to cope with the disease. (Kevin Weiss)

Daniels is a master-level practitioner at Baycare Behavioral Health. He was the featured speaker at a depression awareness seminar at Pasco-Hernando State College. The Feb. 21 event was part of the state college’s ongoing Community Awareness Series, open to the public, students, faculty and staff.

The talk touched on how to recognize signs and symptoms of depression, risk factors, and ways to cope with the disease.

The speaker touched on the stigma associated with mental disorders, such as depression — and the belief from some that sufferers are “crazy,” “psycho” or just plain “attention-seeking.”

Those attitudes are often because people are ill-informed about mental health problems, and they base their thinking from what’s portrayed in media.

“If there’s something going on with me, it does not mean I’m a crazy individual. It means that I need some help,” Daniels said.

“We think people that have mental issues are going to do things and act in a certain way, and that’s the furthest thing from the truth,” he added.

Daniels steered much of the conversation toward depression.

As it turns out, that illness is widespread.

The National Institute on Mental Health estimates that in the United States, 16.2 million adults over age 18 had at least one major depressive episode in 2016.

This number represents nearly 7 percent of all U.S. adults.

Additionally, one in five adults in the U.S., display some sort of mental health disorder each year. Anxiety is reported as most common, followed by major depression and substance use disorder.

Depression can drastically affect a person’s ability to work, carry out daily activities, and engage in satisfying relationships, Daniels said.

Physical symptoms can range from fatigue and lack of energy, to unexplained aches and pains, as well as irregular sleeping and eating patterns, he said.

Behavioral symptoms can include crying spells, withdrawal from others, neglect of responsibilities, loss of interest in personal appearance, loss of motivation, slow movement, or use of drugs and alcohol.

They may also exhibit feelings of guilt, confusion and low self-esteem.

In addition to serious mood, cognitive and physical symptoms, depression is associated with higher rates of chronic disease, increased health care utilization, and impaired functioning.

Daniels said the impact of moderate and severe depression is comparable to someone with multiple sclerosis, asthma, chronic hepatitis B, and even someone who’s quadriplegic.

“We don’t think in those terms of how depression shuts us down, but it does,” he said.

The speaker cautioned against bombarding depression sufferers with intrusive questions. He also noted that constantly watching them could create anxiety, and cause them to feel more “helpless” and “hopeless.”

“Do not keep asking them, ‘What’s wrong?’ People that suffer with depression — half the time they can’t even tell you what’s wrong with them because they don’t even know,” Daniels explained.

The speaker also said family and close friends need to determine if a depression sufferer is getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep, he said, can exacerbate depression symptoms and cause psychotic-like behavior because “they can’t shut themselves down.”

He offered several best practices in helping someone deal with depression:

  • Don’t touch the person, unless they give you permission
  • Avoid direct eye contact, and refrain from staring
  • Avoid sudden or rapid movements
  • Don’t make promises you cannot keep
  • Be genuine with them
  • Talk calmly to them, and ask what you can do to help

Depression-related suicide was also broached during the seminar.

Daniels said a “red flag” to watch out for is sudden mood changes — such as overt happiness — as it may indicate “they’ve made up their minds to complete the suicide.”

Said Daniels, “All along they’ve been depressed, they talk about it, all of a sudden one day they say, ‘I’m OK now. Everything is fine.’

“We miss it by thinking, ‘They’re OK now. They’re doing so much better.’

“That’s when you need to ask questions.”

Daniels also urged students dealing with mental disorders to not be afraid to seek help. His life improved after he sought treatment, he said.

“I had to understand what I was dealing with and how to deal with those situations in my life. There’s nothing wrong with being transparent and letting people know certain things,” he said.

“All of us go through problems in life.,” Daniels said. “There’s no shame in that.”

Possible signs and symptoms of depression

Physical:

  • Fatigue
  • Lack of energy
  • Irregular sleep patterns
  • Irregular eating patterns
  • Constipation
  • Changes in weight
  • Headaches
  • Irregular menstrual cycles
  • Loss of sexual desire
  • Unexplained aches and pains

Behavioral:

  • Crying spells
  • Withdrawal from others
  • Neglect of responsibilities
  • Loss of interest in personal appearance
  • Loss of motivation
  • Slow movement
  • Use of drugs and alcohol

Psychological

  • Sadness
  • Anxiety
  • Guilt
  • Anger
  • Mood swings
  • Lack of emotional responsiveness
  • Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
  • Irritability
  • Frequent self-criticism, self-blame, pessimism
  • Impaired memory and concentration
  • Indecisiveness and confusion
  • Tendency to believe that others see you in a negative light
  • Thoughts of death and suicide

Source: Baycare Behavioral Health

Published March 7, 2018

Human trafficking happens everywhere, including Pasco County

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Elected officials, law enforcement and other stakeholders in Pasco County have teamed up this month to shed light on the growing issue of human trafficking.

The problem was at the forefront of a Jan. 5 press conference that featured Pasco County District 1 commissioner Ron Oakley, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, State Rep. Danny Burgess, Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco and others.

“We’re not afraid to say there’s a problem,” Nocco said. “There’s a problem here in Pasco, there’s a problem here in Tampa Bay, there’s a problem in the state of Florida, there’s a problem nationally, and there’s a problem globally.”

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco detailed the warning signs of human trafficking during a Jan. 5 press conference.
(Kevin Weiss)

Nocco said it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact number of victims in the county. Many human trafficking cases go unreported, he said.

That’s why the sheriff is urging people to be on the lookout—and report—any suspicious activity.

He noted major events — such as the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 28 in Tampa— oftentimes leads to an uptick in prostitution, due to the number of travelers coming into town.

“If there’s a house in your community, and you see a lot of people coming in and out, see a lot of young girls and even young boys, call law enforcement,” he said.

“If you’re in a restaurant and see something that doesn’t look right, call law enforcement.”

Nocco explained sex trafficking doesn’t just lurk in low-income areas, motels or adult establishments.

“Everybody thinks it’s always going to be a seedy part of town; it could be a very high-class area, a high-class neighborhood, where they’re smuggling young girls or young boys,” Nocco explained. “This is not a crime that’s about stereotypes. It’s every race, color, creed, gender, ethnicity and sexual preference. Everybody can be a victim of this.”

He noted that preventing more victims starts “at home” with parents informing their children about human trafficking, and the dangers it presents.

“If you create an environment where the kids are loved,” Nocco said, “basically you’re reducing the factors that will allow them to be victims of human trafficking. “You also have to be a parent to other kids in your neighborhood, because there’s going to be parents…that don’t care.”

Elected officials, meanwhile, are working to tackle the trafficking problem at large.

The U. S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign has set aside Jan. 11 as ‘Wear Blue Day.’ It’s a day to pledge solidarity with victims of human trafficking and to raise awareness about, and work to end related crimes. The entire month of January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security)

The House of Representatives has introduced legislation holding websites accountable for soliciting human trafficking, called the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017. Bilirakis said he expects it to pass sometime this month. The House also passed a Homeland Security funding bill that appropriates $2.1 billion—an increase of nearly $94 million —  for domestic and international investigations programs, including efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Senate introduced the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017, a bill that would help shut down websites that knowingly provide a platform for sex trafficking. The bill has been reported out of committee and is awaiting passage.

“It’s a nonpartisan issue,” Bilirakis said, “and all stakeholders must work together to solve the problem.”

The month of January has been declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, by a presidential proclamation.  And, Jan. 11 is the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s “Wear Blue Day,” a day to pledge solidarity with victims of human trafficking and raise awareness about, and work to end related crimes.

Called Blue Campaign, it is the unified voice for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to combat human trafficking.

Locally, one group is trying to do its part to find solutions.

The Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking, formed in 2014, is chaired by by Liana Dean, a social worker at BayCare Behavioral Health.

The group is made up of 11 stakeholders representing different sectors of the community. The stakeholders include county government, law enforcement, behavioral health, business and service providers, the school district, faith-based community and others.

It promotes public awareness about human trafficking, creates educational programming opportunities and advocates for strategies to aid survivors of human trafficking.

Since its formation, the commission has taken several active steps to curb human trafficking on a regional level.

It worked with the Pasco County Commission in 2016 to pass an ordinance that mandates signage to raise awareness of human trafficking be posted in the restrooms and dressing rooms of sexually oriented businesses, such as adult entertainment establishments and unlicensed massage services.

It also worked with the National Human Trafficking Hotline and WTOG-TV/CW44 to produce three public service announcements designed to educate the public about the local presence of trafficking.

The commission also has trained more than 3,000 members of the community on human trafficking through its community awareness presentations.

Jennie Sammur, who was recognized as the group’s Volunteer of the Year, helps with social media and public relations strategies.

Sammur, a Tampa-based real estate agent, said awareness is “very key in correcting this horrific crime in our community.”

Florida has consistently ranked third in the number of cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, behind only California and Texas.

Published January 10, 2018