New identical bills filed by Rep. Mitch Rosenwald (D-Oakland Park) and Senator Rosalind Osgood (D-Tamarac) hope to help reduce mental health and substance abuse service disparities in the state’s minority communities.
HB 0469 and SB 542, which were filed last week, would, if passed, change the areas in which the Closing the Gap grant program prioritizes funding and adds more opportunities to address mental health and substance abuse.
The “Closing the Gap” (CTG) grant program uses funding to support community initiatives and health organizations to help increase the health of ethnic and minority populations.
In a released statement with both Osgood and Rosenwald, it says, “The legislation is set to amend Section 381.7355, Florida Statutes, to explicitly include racial and ethnic disparities in mental health and substance use disorder morbidity and mortality rates as a priority for funding under the Closing the Gap grant program.”
By specifically including these disparities in the minority community, adding priority funding ensures that they can receive the mental health and substance abuse they need to decrease inequities in healthcare.
“This bill is a crucial step in ensuring that we are addressing these disparities head-on by prioritizing funding for programs that support those most in need,” Osgood said in a joint press release.
Increasing access to care for both mental health and substance abuse is something that Rosenwald hopes is promised if these bills pass.
“Unfortunately, Black and brown communities have higher rates of depression, anxiety and substance abuse than their white counterparts — an inequity rooted in systematic oppression. To help ‘Close the Gap,’ this legislation would require Florida to add “behavioral health and substance abuse as subjects for grants offered to direct service providers.” Rosenwald said in the joint release.
What is the Close the Gap grant program?
Close the Gap, or CTG, is a grant program that the Office of Minority Health created to eliminate racial inequalities in the state’s healthcare system. With about $3.5 million set aside for funding for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, any person or organization can apply for this award and “may serve as the lead agency to administer and coordinate project activities within the counties and develop community partnerships necessary to implement the grant,” according to the application guidelines.
If these two bills are passed, mental health and substance abuse will be added to the priorities of maternal and infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and dementia, Sickle Cell Disease and a couple more health issues that attack minorities at a higher rate.
Why the need?
When it comes to long systemic barriers in healthcare, extending CTG’s program would bridge the gap between minority and non-minority resources and care that have been in place for years.
For Florida state representative Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee), when initiatives like this are implemented, it’s not simply because of color but because of variables within a population.
“Traditionally, people that come from lower socioeconomic status don’t have access to health care services, and so naturally, as you know, there are a lot of minorities that typically are in marginalized communities that don’t have access to even food security healthcare, quality education transportation,” Franklin said.
“Obviously, we see a lot of disparities in healthcare, and some of those are directly correlated with social status, but one that is particularly not is the mortality rates.”
He added that despite people having money, status and access to resources, studies still show that a minority person will have more healthcare disparities than their white counterparts.