The Executive Committee is recommending three items as legislative priorities for FY 2003 that are specific to Sarasota County and on which the Community Alliance can make an impact:

• Additional Funding for Crisis Stabilization Unit Beds. The acute care system in Sarasota County is in a state of crisis. The County’s designated Baker Act public receiving facility, the Crisis Stabilization Unit operated by Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, is running at or over capacity nearly every day. When these beds are full, indigent patients are being diverted—of necessity but inappropriately—to other facilities in the area, including the private receiving facilities operated by Bayside Center for Behavioral Health and Bon Secours-Venice Behavioral Health Services. When beds are not available in these facilities, the overflow of patients is ending up in Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s emergency room (compromising the hospital’s ability to provide acute medical care), in the county jail, and in facilities outside the county. The Community Alliance has recently undertaken an analysis of the county’s acute care system which will be complete by the end of December. While the recommendations which will come forth from that analysis and report are not known, it is expected that at least one of the recommendations will be for increased funding from the legislature for Crisis Stabilization Unit beds. In anticipation of that recommendation, the Community Alliance would support a budget request by the Department of Children and Families for increased funding for CSU beds.

• Tiered Reimbursement for Child Day Care. State legislation previously allowed local school readiness coalitions to utilize tiered rating systems, and hence tiered reimbursement systems, through what was known as the Gold Seal Program. This program permitted different levels of reimbursement to day care centers for different levels of service, encouraging innovation and rewarding day care centers which provided higher quality child care. This legislation was repealed by the Legislature in May, 2001, effective at the end of December, 2001. Without authority to set up a system of different levels of service to reward providers who are willing to go beyond the bare minimum required for state licensing, the School Readiness Coalition cannot develop a program that is truly responsive to the needs of children in the county, and all that will be left is basic “child care” at the lowest rate. To give the Sarasota School Readiness Coalition (and others throughout the state) the flexibility needed to structure educational programs which are responsive to local conditions and set rates which are consistent with the local market and at levels commensurate with the varying levels of care offered by providers, the Community Alliance would support legislation which permits local control of these issues by school readiness coalitions.

• Co-Occurring Treatment Continuum for Strong Families Pilot Project. A majority of the families involved with the child welfare system have multiple problems, which often include co-occurring substance abuse problems, domestic violence issues, and/or mental health issues. An estimated one-fourth of these families need intensive outpatient services or residential treatment. The demand for these services and the rapid growth in the number of families being referred to the dependency system are overwhelming the capacity of local providers. The Community Alliance would support a pilot project with a strong diversion focus which would be a collaborative effort among local treatment providers. The project would offer a continuum of care, including outpatient treatment, residential treatment, an in-home parenting program, life skills training, youth activity and education programs, with contingency funds available to remove barriers to participation such as lack of transportation or child care.

In addition, the Executive Committee recommends that three issues be pursued as longer-range legislative priorities which have a statewide focus; the Community Alliance would join other parties in supporting these issues:

• Revenue Maximization. The Funding Catalyst Work Group is focusing on revenue maximization efforts which would permit local funds to be used as match for federal dollars. This would involve no new state funds, allow local control of programs, and enable the community to fill gaps in existing services. The Community Alliance would support legislation being proposed as a collaborative effort of the United Way of Florida and the state association of children’s service councils.

• Devolution. The Community Alliance would oppose any legislation which would shift responsibility for human service programs from the state to the local government level which does not include a corresponding transfer of funds to local governments. The Florida Association of Counties and its affiliated groups have the lead on this issue.

• Expansion of Healthy Families Florida. This statewide program has proven its effectiveness in building strong families and diverting children and families from the child welfare system. However, the program is only able to serve a fraction of the population which need these services. The Community Alliance would support legislative budget requests to increase funding for this successful program.