Jacksonville, FL – The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) awarded LSF Health Systems, in partnership with Children’s Home Society, a 5-year,
$545,000 grant to enhance and expand treatment, intervention, and recovery services for
youth with substance use disorders and/or mental health disorders at Ed White High School.
The grant will expand help available to students at the Westside school and serve up to 450
youth aged 14 to 19 years old and their families. The treatment/intervention approach will
include a new comprehensive youth-and-family-centered intervention, treatment, and recovery
model, said Dr. Christine Cauffield, CEO of LSF Health Systems in Jacksonville.
“Our project will address the stigma related to mental health issues among diverse populations
at the school,” Cauffield said. “This will be accomplished through workforce training and
technical assistance, and through educational programming with youth and their families.”
Student voices are foundational to the project, Cauffield said. A youth leadership class at Ed
White High School will use a peer-to-peer approach to increase mental health awareness and
substance use prevention, including evidence-based nicotine/vaping prevention.
LSF Health Systems is one of seven behavioral health Managing Entities contracted by the
Florida Department of Children and Families to manage the state-funded system of behavioral
health care for people who face poverty and are without insurance. LSF Health Systems serves
a 23-county region in North Florida. For more information, visit lsfhealthsystems.org
