FL LINC (Florida Linking Individuals Needing Care) Project

Project Overview

Associate Professor Marc Karver, PhD of the University of South Florida and Assistant Professor, Kim Gryglewicz, PhD, MSW of the University of Central Florida have received a five year, 3.68 million dollar federal grant awarded to the University of South/Central Florida, the Florida Council of Community Mental Health, and the Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention (SOSP) to continue to advance suicide prevention efforts throughout the state of Florida. 

The FL LINC Project is a partnership between the Florida Office of Suicide Prevention (SOSP), the Florida Behavioral Health Association, and the Universities of South and Central Florida to innovatively enhance services to reach at-risk priority populations and ensure young people receive needed services. The IDCN and the state suicide prevention infrastructure, will partner with up to three competitively selected applicant behavioral health regional coordinating service entities and utilize a sustainable mentorship model to continue to enhance, expand, and implement culturally sensitive, evidence-based (EBP) suicide prevention and early intervention strategies. Partnering entities will be selected based on need; prior suicide prevention experience; organizational capacity; established interagency partnerships and referral networks; community and stakeholder buy-in; and commitment to evaluation.

The goals/measurable objectives are to:

Strengthen collaboration and integration of suicide prevention and early mental health intervention programs among local and state-level partners;

Coordinate the adoption and integration of suicide prevention and crisis response strategies into workforce settings;

Promote safe and positive messaging about behavioral health prevention, mental and substance disorders, treatment, and recovery support services;

Implement and evaluate culturally competent, evidence-based and promising practices/programs that focus on early mental health intervention; substance abuse detection and prevention; mental health wellness, resiliency, and recovery; and, suicide prevention to youth families and youth-serving sectors;

Strengthen systems of care by improving continuity of care standards to link and follow-up with at-risk youth; and,

Reduce suicide mortality and morbidity among FL’s youth/young adult population

The FL LINC project will partner with 3 Managing Entities throughout the state, covering a total of 32 Florida counties: 1) Lutheran Services of Florida, which serves 23 counties in Northeast FL, 2) Central Florida Cares, which serves 4 counties surrounding the greater Orlando area, and 3) Southeast FL Behavioral Network, which serves 5 counties on the east coast of Florida north of Ft. Lauderdale.