Faith coalition urges Pinellas County to sustain funding and boost outreach for 'Care About Me' mental-health pathway

Members of a cross-faith coalition told the county commission that the county’s single-access pathway to behavioral health and substance-abuse services — "Care About Me" — is effective for those who use it but remains underutilized because of limited public awareness.

Rabbi Michael, speaking on behalf of Faith and Action for Strength Together (FAST), thanked commissioners for early support and urged them to sustain the current funding level while demanding more aggressive marketing and outreach to schools, counselors and frontline referral agencies. "People simply do not know. Not enough school personnel are aware of this resource," Rabbi Michael said, adding that the program was designed to help roughly 1,000 residents per month based on a 2020 needs assessment.

Other FAST members and social-service professionals echoed the message: they praised rapid appointment availability for referrals that had used the program, but said that outside the coalition and a single school example, many providers had not heard of the service. Speakers asked commissioners to maintain the county’s funding commitment while directing staff to ramp up targeted marketing to schools, social workers and community referral partners so that initial capacity is fully utilized.

Commissioners received the comments with appreciation; staff noted a marketing firm had been engaged and that the county would consider outreach needs when reviewing the program’s future funding. No formal vote to alter funding was taken during public comment.