Circles of Care, a private, nonprofit Community Behavioral Health Center serving Brevard County, has just released the results of a comprehensive, independent review led by a volunteer committee of highly respected experts in business, public safety, public health, and nonprofit leadership from across Central Florida.
The committee’s charge: Assess organizational practices and recommend peer-based best practices for growth, alignment, and safety as Circles of Care continues its critical mission to serve the region’s behavioral health needs.
This initiative builds upon Circles of Care’s existing peer-driven knowledge exchange, where Circles staff travel to other facilities in Florida to see how they operate, and to extract best practices for consideration by Circles of Care.
The committee — composed of experienced executives in healthcare, human resources, public safety, and nonprofit governance — was chaired by David Weldon, MD, a board-certified internist, Army veteran, and former 7-term U.S. Congressman who represented Brevard County in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2009.
The committee conducted a multi-week review of Circles’ internal operations, leadership structures, communication processes, and strategic alignment. The result is a detailed report containing dozens of organizational strengths and recommendations that reaffirm the organization’s mission while charting a clear path for continued improvement and evolution.
“These were professionals who didn’t have to say ‘yes’ — but they did, because they care about the vital role Circles performs in our community,” said Circles of Care President and CEO, Stephen Lord. “They brought deep expertise and a selfless dedication to the table, and their work points the way to an even better future for those we serve.”
Key recommendations in the report include:
• The need to increase recreational and emotional engagement activities for patients, including art, music, outdoor recreation and other therapeutic experiences, in order to foster greater patient participation, reduce idle time, and promote a more positive treatment environment.
As noted by Independent Commission peers, increased opportunities for interaction between patients and staff help build camaraderie, enhance therapeutic rapport, and contribute to improved outcomes for all.
• The need for robust community-based coalitions that support staffing pipelines for healthcare, and in particular, behavioral health workforce development.
• The need for behavioral healthcare industry leaders statewide to work together to ease barriers to employment for those with lived experience, including individuals previously impacted by mental health and substance use disorders.
• The opportunity to expand internal and external safety processes, including additional facility screening procedures and expanded training partnerships with local law enforcement.
• The opportunity to more-closely coordinate with criminal court and mental health court judges to directly connect eligible individuals to case management services.
Providing for this option would help close critical gaps between jail release and treatment entry – gaps that often result in relapse, crisis, or re-arrest.
Importantly, the review found that many of these areas were already being addressed in real time — with the organization actively implementing changes even as the committee conducted its work.
The committee operated independently and without compensation. Its work was conducted with professionalism, confidentiality, and a solutions-oriented approach.
Committee members expressed deep respect for the Circles of Care team and emphasized the organization’s willingness to invite outside review as a sign of institutional strength.
“It was an honor to do this work and both identify opportunities for improvement and recognize already-existing excellence,” said Dr. Weldon. “Circles of Care plays a critical
role in serving the needs of this community, and I remain confident in their ability to continue doing so in the future.”
“Circles of Care is the primary provider of emergency psychiatric care for individuals in crisis in Brevard County. Caring for our most vulnerable residents – from pediatric patients
to senior citizens – is a responsibility that we take very seriously,” said Rob Salonen, Chairman of the Circles of Care Board of Directors. “Engaging in the peer review process exemplifies our overall commitment to excellence in care, and is reflective of how passionately we embrace our core mission of caring for Brevard County’s families and residents.”
Circles of Care is Brevard County’s designated central receiving facility for voluntary and involuntary assessment and stabilization of psychiatric and/or substance use disorder
patients under Florida’s Baker Act and Marchman Act laws. Circles of Care is proud to have a widely respected track record for providing the most comprehensive, high-quality behavioral healthcare services throughout the Brevard community. In addition to hospital-based behavioral health care, Circles offers outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, including on-site and mobile medication-assisted treatment (MAT), detoxification services, and specialized multidisciplinary team approaches to specific conditions.
Circles of Care is Brevard County’s designated central receiving facility for voluntary and involuntary assessment and stabilization of psychiatric and/or substance use disorder patients under Florida’s Baker Act and Marchman Act laws.
Circles of Care is proud to have a widely respected track record for providing the most comprehensive, high-quality behavioral healthcare services throughout the Brevard community. In addition to hospital-based behavioral health care, Circles offers outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, including on-site and mobile medication-assisted treatment (MAT), detoxification services, specialized multidisciplinary team approaches to specific populations, including severely emotionally disturbed children, child welfare cases, and forensic populations, and more.
Circles of Care provides short- and long-term residential housing, including innovative supportive wraparound care for individuals who are living stably with serious mental illness and who have successfully transitioned to independent housing.
For more information about Circles of Care’s services, please visit www.circlesofcare.org
