NWF Health Celebrates 10 Years as Behavioral Health Managing Entity

NWF Health Network, a lead agency for child protection and behavioral health including mental health and substance abuse services, is proud to celebrate its 10th anniversary as the Behavioral Health Managing Entity serving northwest Florida.

In 2008, the Florida Legislature began a transition to community-based substance abuse and mental health services by creating private Behavioral Health Managing Entities (BHME). NWF Health’s services contract encompasses the 18 counties that make up Florida Judicial Circuits 1, 2, 14 and Madison and Taylor Counties from Circuit 3. As a BHME, NWF Health’s primary role is to maintain an integrated network of private providers with the goal of ensuring optimal access to, and the provision of, quality services for all residents in its service area.

In the past decade, NWF Health has implemented and monitored innovative programs to address the mental health and substance abuse needs of the community at scale. NWF Health has worked closely with its partners to deliver best in class Care Coordination, Opioid treatment, three Mobile Response Teams, ten Community Action Teams, a Centralized Receiving Facility, Family Intensive Treatment, and early psychosis programs. Our approach has leveraged relationships with local hospitals, schools and law enforcement agencies to help thousands of individuals and families recover and thrive.

“As we mark this milestone, we want to thank our staff, providers, partners, and clients for their trust and support,” said NWF Health CEO Mike Watkins. “We are overseeing the largest community mental health and substance abuse expansion in Florida history. We look forward to improving the health and well-being of northwest Floridians for many years to come.”

NWF Health has significantly expanded its provider network and funding over the last decade. It began by overseeing and contracting $46 million annually (2013). Today, that number has increased to nearly $112 million in behavioral health infrastructure and services being provided in the community while maintaining an administrative cost less than 2%.