PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — For more than a year, WPTV has tracked a mental health crisis in Palm Beach County, showing how resources have dwindled while demand grows. Now, officials working to address those needs have made significant progress over the past year.
Palm Beach County leadership started sounding the alarm in November 2024 when JFK North Hospital ended its Baker Act program for kids under 13, leaving no place in Palm Beach County for the youngest patients in crisis.
In January 2025, the Palm Beach County Commission voted unanimously to spend $10 million to help build a comprehensive mental health facility providing crisis care and other help for people of all ages.
But a project like that takes years to get off the ground. One year after that funding was approved, here's where this project stands and what the county and other stakeholders are doing to address this urgent need in the meantime.
Families advocate for change after tragedy
Conversations about mental health aren't always easy, but Unique and Cheryl Nelson haven't shied away.
"Just so the people didn't have to go through what we went through with the passing of our son," Unique Nelson said.
Sincere Nelson was 17 years old when he took his own life in 2018.
"Oh, he was amazing. Sincere was just the joy of the room, you know, just a sweet child. Very helpful," Cheryl Nelson said.
The Nelsons said Sincere had struggled for years as they got him treatment and did their best to support him. Now they work to support other families through their Sincere 2000 Foundation.
"We're talking about the importance of mental illness and suicide prevention," Unique Nelson said.
"Also, if we find somebody that's in a crisis situation, we know where we can send them," Cheryl Nelson said.
But the Nelsons have watched with concern as there have been fewer places to send people in crisis in Palm Beach County in recent years.
"The gift is that people (are) willing to talk about mental illness. The curse is that you close the facilities... and they have nowhere to go," Unique Nelson said.
New crisis center planned for West Palm Beach
But an opening is on the horizon. At the corner of Southern Boulevard and Benoist Farms Road, a new facility is being planned.
Dr. Courtney Phillips, the vice president of behavioral health services at the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, said the parcel has been purchased and the district is currently in the design phases with architects, with the goal of breaking ground between late 2026 and early 2027.
"We're calling it a crisis center, because it has a lot of different facets," Phillips said. "It's that place where you're like, 'We don't know what's wrong with my son, with my mom, with me; but I know I can go here and they're going to help me figure it out.'"
When Chief Investigator Jamie Ostroff asked Phillips if Palm Beach County is experiencing a crisis of mental health resources, she responded: "I think so… there are resources for certain groups, but not for everyone."
"We always should have had this, but I think we have an opportunity to build something amazing where there is nothing. It's a big undertaking, but it's going to take all of us at the table," Phillips said.
County focuses on children's mental health needs
County leadership also acknowledged the crisis. It's why the commission pledged $10 million last year to kickstart the new facility. It'll serve people of all ages and backgrounds, but right now policymakers are honing in on the needs of children.
"We have challenges today in mental health that didn't exist 20-30— not even 10 years ago," Commissioner Maria Sachs said.
Sachs said she's spent the past year searching for more solutions, working with the School District of Palm Beach County to get more counselors in schools and establishing new partnerships to make that happen at a lower cost.
"I've spoken with President Adam Hasner at FAU and Ava Parker, the president of Palm Beach State College, and they're working with us, with their graduate students to get these graduate students as part of their graduation requirements, to have them volunteer at our schools," Sachs said.
State legislation targets early detection
At the state level, Representative Debra Tendrich introduced a bill requiring Florida pediatricians to conduct mental health screenings on their patients, then connect families with the tools and resources they need.
"Mental health prevention is a public safety issue, it's a public health issue, and it's a family stability issue," Tendrich said. "We're screening for early detection of Autism Behavior, social and emotional screenings, tobacco, alcohol and drug use assessments, and also for depression and suicide."
Immediate steps taken to expand services
The Healthcare District has also taken steps over the past year to expand its mental healthcare offerings. They've expanded hours at the Mangonia Park Community Health Center, now open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. You don't need insurance or even an appointment if you need help.
The district tells me they've also partnered with Neurobehavioral Hospitals to make six Baker Act beds for children available in Palm Beach County. They're just waiting for the state to finalize the paperwork.
The Nelsons said they are glad to see the progress that's been made in Palm Beach County over the past year, and proud to be part of that conversation.
"I think that it's a good thing, and I think that as time goes on, you know, more people will catch on that mental illness isn't going anywhere," Cheryl Nelson said. "Understand that if it's not you, or if it's a loved one, or you find yourself in a crisis situation, that there is help, there is help out there, and we're going to make sure that we yell it to the mountaintops."
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