Last week, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., announced the University of Central Florida (UCF) will receive $472,658 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to increase access to mental health treatment.
The program will help expand access to behavioral health care services by recruiting and training new mental health professionals to serve the most vulnerable populations in Central Florida.
“Too many Americans with mental health needs can’t get the care they need because we don’t have enough trained behavioral specialists to care for them,” said Murphy. “This federal funding will increase the number of trained mental health providers in our community, making vital mental health services more accessible so Floridians can live healthier lives.”
Murphy has made bolstering and expanding mental health services in Florida one of her top priorities in Congress. She has successfully secured funding for the UCF RESTORES clinic to treat servicemembers and veterans with PTSD, held mental health advisory board meetings to hear first-hand from her community about mental health challenges, and worked to increase funding for youth mental health services and suicide prevention.