The long-awaited Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery is one step closer to opening its doors as a key vote scheduled Feb. 4 by county commissioners on its operating plan, contracts and budget for the next five years marks a milestone for the first-of-its-kind center that targets the intersection of mental health and the cycle between homelessness and incarceration. After commission approval, the center can proceed with final preparations, with an expected opening four to six months after the vote. Judge Steve Leifman, who has spearheaded the project from the start, emphasized that this step will prevent further delays. Having retired as an administrative judge for the county at the end of December, Judge Leifman now focuses on mental health initiatives in Miami and beyond. “We have a certificate of occupancy and we’re just waiting for the commission to give final approval,” Judge Leifman told Miami Today. “They did a first step where they gave the mayor authority to negotiate the contracts, which are now pretty much done, and then all of that will go back to the commission on Feb. 4. God willing, there’s final approval and we will be off to the races.” The Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery will house multiple services under one roof, offering a holistic and innovative approach to care. The sprawling 181,000-square-foot, seven-floor campus includes a receiving center, integrated crisis stabilization unit, residential treatment, outpatient behavioral health and primary care, dental and optometry services. The facility has a capacity for 16 acute care and crisis stabilization beds, 48 short-term residential beds and another 144 for longer-term residential treatment. A team of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers will coordinate services to create a comprehensive, integrated approach to care. The Advocate Program (AP), a nonprofit with 50 years of experience in offender supervision services, is enlisted as the managing entity responsible for coordinating day-to-day affairs and providing accountability and oversight to the center’s providers and subcontractors. “AP will oversee the facility and WestCare Village South will do the receiving facility, crisis stabilization, short-term residential and some substance use beds. AP will also be responsible for separately making the contracts with the other providers, like for the eye care service, which we anticipate will be Bascom Palmer, and for the podiatry and primary services, which we anticipate will be Camillus Health,” Judge Leifman said. Additionally, the center will offer day treatment and day activity programs, including a barber shop and basketball court, classrooms and educational spaces, a courtroom, legal and social service agencies, transitional housing, employment services and vocational rehabilitation. The center’s initial focus will be on people who continue to cycle between homelessness and incarceration. “We’ve identified 1,000 people who have been arrested over the past five years and accounted for nearly 200,000 jail bed days,” Judge Leifman explained. “That can cost tens of millions of dollars, so we want to start with the most expensive individuals cycling through the system at the highest rates.” Referrals are to come from police, jail systems and community organizations, with plans to gradually expand the criteria to serve more people as the program gains traction. The center will also provide an avenue for research to develop and refine best practices and fill treatment voids, improving patient and community outcomes. “The main system research will be with the University of Miami, and we’ll also work with Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University,” Judge Leifman said. “The system research uses the population health department, which will enable us to show how much this saves the county by offering these services and what the actual costs will be. It will provide robust, thoughtful research, so as we move forward and scale this, we’ll have all the data needed to make informed decisions. Plus, we’ll be able to show our policymakers how this impacts the community.” He continued, “There’s also clinical research, and we’ll go back and talk to Columbia and some of the other interested universities. We’re also going to be offering fellowships and internships to grow our workforce and ensure we have highly qualified, high-skilled individuals working in the building and here in Miami.” Related Posts:Hurdles remain for Mental Health and Recovery CenterNew board will oversee county’s mental health centerMiami Center for Mental Health and Recovery nears openingNew team could oversee future mental health centerMental Health Advisory Board advancesThe post Miami Center for Mental Health faces pivotal February vote appeared first on Miami Today.