Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health Community Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NAMI Hernando asks county to sustain support as peer‑support program expands; commissioners praise workforce and jail programs
Summary
NAMI Hernando presented its work and growth to the board, reporting expanded peer-support services, a recovery community center, workforce development and jail support programs. Commissioners commended NAMI—s local impact and asked staff to continue partnering with community health providers.
NAMI Hernando, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, presented a program update April 22 and asked the Board to continue county support for mental health peer services, workforce development and outreach.
Tina Kinney, executive director, described NAMI—s expansion: a Recovery Community Center opened the previous June, the organization now employs 14 staff and its budget has grown from about $75,000 to $750,000 a year. Kinney said NAMI Hernando delivered peer support to 287 adults in one recent quarter, provided support-group attendance to more than 1,400 people and ran a program that served 88 individuals in local jails. Kinney also described a workforce development internship and Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (CRPS) training: 13 people had completed state certification by the time of the presentation and more were on track.
Kinney asked the commission to continue supporting NAMI—s outreach and workforce programming. She described an outreach truck donated and retrofitted for outreach in homeless encampments and rural parts of the county.
Commissioners praised the organization. Commissioner Ramsler called the center and the jail-bridge program "savings to Hernando County" because peer supports reduce hospitalizations and law-enforcement contacts. Commissioner Lockhart and Chairwoman Campbell thanked NAMI for workforce partnerships with local colleges and for training officers and corrections staff.
Why it matters: County-level peer-support programs augment clinical services and county jail reentry work. NAMI—s presentation quantified services and asked the county to sustain partnerships that reduce crisis events, an outcome commissioners framed as both a public-health and cost-saving measure.
What comes next: Commissioners invited NAMI to continue reporting on certification and outcomes; staff flagged the organization as an ongoing partner for workforce development and jail transition services.
