Earlier this spring, LSF Health Systems led a collaborative effort with community partners Mental Health Resource Center, Hubbard House, Changing Homelessness and local hospital Emergency Departments to secure a competitive 16-month, $800,000 COVID-19 suicide prevention grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In a recent article, the Florida Times-Union highlighted the project and introduced Jessica Hames, executive director of the Gainesville Peer Respite center, whose powerful testimony reminds us that lives are saved when resources are available and that peers in recovery offer a critical resource for those needing hope. Click here to read the story and the recommendations offered by Dr. Christine Cauffield for coping with “crisis fatigue” and the chronic stress and isolation brought on by the pandemic.
