Lucas to head behavioral health task force

Lucas Brian Lucas, vice president of business development and chief information officer for Bonita Bay Group, has agreed to serve as private sector co-champion for the newly formed Behavioral Health Task Force. He will work with public sector co-champion Commissioner Bob Janes and task force members to study behavioral health treatment options and inadequacies, and develop ways to improve access and better coordinate services for Lee County.

The Behavioral Health Task Force was recommended by the 38-member Steering Committee for Community Health Visioning 2017, an effort led by Lee Memorial Health System to develop a long-term vision for a more effective health care system for the community. Four town hall meetings, 150 focus groups, 1,000 detailed phone calls and an Internet survey found behavioral health and primary care needs to be the top two priorities for Lee County during the next decade. Data collected during the process showed that behavioral health needs are the number one reason for Lee County residents to access health care services outside the community. Additional findings included a lack of inpatient beds; shortages of psychiatrists and psychologists; lack of access to assessments; and a lack of substance abuse treatment options.

Janes The 15-member task force is chaired by Greg Gardner, vice president for allocations and planning with United Way of Lee County, and Liz Givens, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Lee County. For more information, call Gardner at 239-433-2000 or Givens at 239-337-9024.