The group will address mental health, substance abuse, and barriers to healthcare access.

St. Johns County has helped launch IMPACT: Advocating for Children Today, Inc., with community partners to identify the needs, resources, and partnerships to improve the lives of St. Johns County children and their families by advocating for a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. A community workshop was held in August to proceed forward with program priorities, funding opportunities, and the formation of a board of directors. The Office of Public Affairs produced a video to recap the successful workshop.

Sarah Arnold, St. Johns County Commissioner, District 2, hosted the workshop at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall with presenters from St. Johns County Health and Human Services, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, local education non-profit INK!, St. Augustine Youth Services, and St. Johns County Behavioral Health Consortium.

“This is a collaborative, strategic union solely focused on the well-being of children and families within a community,” said Arnold. “We are a resource connector. We want to ground our work in current national, state, and local data on children and family well-being to ensure that priorities are relevant and impactful.”

At the Inaugural Children’s Behavioral Health Summit in 2016, the need for a Children’s Advocacy Group was developed. A strategic plan was designed to include convening a Governance Workgroup to determine the type of advocacy group, its purpose, and structure. The advocacy group selected IMPACT: Advocating for Children Today and secured the Florida non-profit 501 (c) (3) status in 2019.

The objectives of IMPACT are to advocate for children’s behavioral health care, including substance use and mental health, medical care, social-emotional development, educational needs, children’s physical and emotional safety, and their societal needs.

“The success of our Children’s Alliance IMPACT event in August truly shows the strength of St. Johns County’s commitment to our youth,” said Patti Greenough, co-chair of the Children’s Alliance Governance Workgroup. “More than 40 dedicated leaders came together, fully engaged, and demonstrated their personal pledge to support the mission of IMPACT. This was not just a meeting; it was a powerful launchpad for change. The momentum from the event is pushing us forward as we take our next steps of seating a Board of Directors, securing crucial community partners, and hiring an Executive Director. With these foundations in place, we will be ready to fully launch IMPACT’s mission in St. Johns County to advocate for our children’s medical, behavioral health, educational, and safety needs.”

“IMPACT will raise the public dialogue on children’s health care needs, promote policies and funding that advance these needs, and convene a think tank of experts who work with children and their families,” said Schuyler Siefker, co-chair of the Children’s Alliance Governance Workgroup and CEO of St. Augustine Youth Services.

Greenough and Siefker presented the history, priorities, and next steps of IMPACT: Advocating for Children Today, Inc., to the St. Johns County Health and Human Services Advisory Council on Oct. 2. They shared that IMPACT plans to have a board and brand in place to kick off 2026 and hire an executive director later that year.

“We will create a forum for providers to discuss needs and their plans to address those needs, build consensus on unmet needs in St. Johns County, and increase collaboration to coordinate care for the children in our community,” said Arnold.

IMPACT intends to seek support from state legislators and the local community.