Florida lawmakers want to reform the way the state deals with substance abuse and mental health issues. One legislator hopes her recent appointment to an advisory council will help with that effort.
As the chair of the Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committee, Sen. Eleanor Sobel (D-Hollywood) has already taken the lead on a number of child-related issues.
Among them is legislation looking to reform Florida’s child welfare system, which had come under scrutiny after a spate of child abuse deaths.
Sobel also is helping write legislation to address substance abuse and mental health issues—identified as contributing factors in a lot of child abuse-related instances.
“By being part of this very important council, I hope that there will be more of an emphasis on those families and will get the appropriate continuum of services so that we don’t experience these unfortunate child deaths,” she said.
Sobel is Senate President Andy Gardiner’s appointee to the Statewide Drug Policy Advisory Council.
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