ORLANDO, Fla. – The Sunshine State ranks 40th in the country for access to mental healthcare, according to Mental Health America.
Dr. Marni Stahlman, president of the Mental Health Association of Central Florida, says one of the reasons is due to the lack of psychiatrists to prescribe medication.
“We have probably less than 25 board-certified psychiatrists here in Central Florida. When you look at children and adolescents, it becomes even more difficult,” she explains. She adds that for those who are uninsured or on Medicaid, the situation is even worse.
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“When you look at mental health since COVID, it’s just exacerbating. We’re having so many more challenges now. People are struggling with inflation, struggling with divorce rates. COVID impacted our entire society,” State Rep.Gallop Franklin, D-Leon County, notes.
House Bill 23, filed this month, could give psychologists the ability to prescribe medication.
Franklin, who authored the bill, says that instead of going to medical school like psychiatrists, the bill would give psychologists the chance to undergo 2 to 3 years of training in pharmacology, assessing, and diagnosing courses to get certified to prescribe certain drugs to patients.
“You won’t be able to do everything a psychiatrist can do, but you’ll have a little bit of wiggle room. If that is your passion, you can fill the void and make a difference,” Franklin explains.
Stahlman, who is also a psychologist, has worked since the 90s to get this legislation passed. She acknowledges that the medical community has been concerned about the training and qualifications it takes to prescribe medication, but she believes this bill would work.
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“I think there are ways in the legislative process to require substantial training or additional training for individuals that want to become prescribers,” she says.
The bill also establishes a panel of psychologists, psychiatrists, and other medical professionals to decide which medications psychologists can prescribe.
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