Molina Healthcare of Florida Announces a $70,000 Grant Funding NAMI’s Behavioral Health Peer Mentor Program

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Molina Healthcare of Florida (“Molina”) announced a $70,000 grant creating a new collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Miami-Dade County (“NAMI Miami-Dade County”). The donation will help implement its Behavioral Health Peer Navigator Program, which will allow individuals with mental health needs to build resilience, develop coping strategies and navigate systems of care.

Through this initiative, NAMI Miami-Dade County will train a certified peer specialist (CPS) to provide non-clinical supportive services to individuals with behavioral health needs. The CPS will meet with them at behavioral health hospitals, primary care physician offices and other sites. NAMI Miami-Dade County will recruit individuals with lived experience in mental health and/or substance use recovery. The specialist will deliver one-on-one mentoring, referral to NAMI Peer Support Groups and recovery-focused community engagement to promote client empowerment, resilience and self-advocacy.

"We are excited to partner with Molina to bring the lived experience and peer support that NAMI offers and formally introduce it into the continuum of mental health care in Miami-Dade County,” said Susan Hotzman, president and CEO, NAMI Miami-Dade County. “We are confident that we will be seeing improved outcomes as a result of this strategy."

“Molina has proudly supported NAMI and its many efforts to end the stigma of mental health and fill gaps in community services, and we are pleased to extend our partnership through this peer program,” said Bill Hinsdale, plan president for Molina Healthcare of Florida. “Molina works to ensure its members receive the highest quality of care and this initiative adds an extra layer of support in an individual’s health journey.”

The grant is part of a broader investment campaign supporting area nonprofits committed to improving birth outcomes, child safety, educational attainment, housing stability, work readiness, financial sustainability, mental health supports and healthy aging.

About Molina Healthcare of Florida

Molina Healthcare of Florida, Inc. provides government-funded, quality health care, serving members through Medicaid and Marketplace programs in Florida. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Florida, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.