Florida continues to face a growing mental health crisis.
Long wait times, provider shortages, and limited insurance panel access leave thousands of Floridians, especially in rural communities, without timely psychiatric care. For many, these gaps can mean worsening depression, delayed treatment, or even tragic outcomes.
That’s why Senate Bill 138[1], sponsored by Sen. Keith Truenow, and its companion House Bill, championed by Rep. Jason Shoaf, mark a pivotal moment for our state’s health care future. These bills expand Florida’s autonomous practice law to allow psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners[2] (PMHNPs) to practice independently, just as nurse practitioners have safely done in primary care since 2020.
Empowering providers to meet demand
Under current law, even the most highly trained PMHNPs, clinicians with advanced doctoral preparation and national certification, must maintain unnecessary supervisory contracts to practice. These contracts do not enhance patient safety but do limit access to care, particularly in communities where no psychiatrist is available to sign them.
SB 138 corrects this by granting PMHNPs the ability to provide mental health services autonomously, in accordance with Board of Nursing rules. It’s a reform grounded in evidence-based practice, fiscal responsibility, and compassionate care.
Research consistently demonstrates that nurse practitioners deliver care equal in quality and safety to their physician counterparts. The Veterans Health Administration[3], for example, already recognizes full practice authority nationwide. Extending this trust to Florida’s PMHNPs is both logical and overdue.
Grassroots advocacy in action
This legislation didn’t emerge from a boardroom; it grew from grassroots advocacy. Across Florida, nurse practitioners have united to educate lawmakers, share patient stories, and highlight the real-world impact of restrictive laws.
As a rural provider and proud Region 1 director of the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network, I’ve witnessed firsthand how advocacy changes lives. Working closely with Shoaf, who has long championed this cause, and Truenow, who has courageously sponsored it in the Senate, has been both humbling and inspiring.
Together, we’ve demonstrated what collaboration between legislators and frontline providers can achieve when the goal is patient-centered reform. Their leadership reflects a deep understanding that when barriers fall, access rises, especially for those who need care most.
Looking forward
SB 138 is more than a bill; it’s a promise to Floridians that their mental health matters. It’s a recognition that nurse practitioners are not substitutes for physicians, but essential partners in the health care workforce.
By empowering PMHNPs to practice autonomously, they can expand timely access to diagnosis, therapy, and medication management, particularly in underserved areas where psychiatrists are scarce. This reform will not only reduce costs but save lives.
To Truenow and Shoaf: thank you for standing with Florida’s nurse practitioners and for believing that access to care should never depend on a ZIP code or a signature.
For all of us who call Florida home, SB 138 represents progress, partnership, and hope.
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Monica Barfield, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC, is the owner of New Horizon Primary Care and the Region 1 director of the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network.
References
- ^ Senate Bill 138 (www.flsenate.gov)
- ^ psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (my.clevelandclinic.org)
- ^ Veterans Health Administration (www.va.gov)