By Peggy Brockman
Imagine receiving a call from your child’s school: your middle-schooler, diagnosed with ADD, lost his temper and screamed, “I wish I were dead.” Because the staff knows you, they give you the option to take him to the emergency room yourself, instead of calling law enforcement.
You arrive at the ER, but there’s no child psychologist. The ER doctor decides to send your child—seven hours away—to a facility in Orlando for evaluation. You object. Emotions rise. The doctor blames you and asks you to leave. Your child is transported anyway, placed in a holding area with wooden slab beds and other children in crisis, screaming. He’s terrified.
Three days later, a tele-psychiatrist finds your child isn’t a threat and should be released. But when you return from a brief trip home, you discover your child was already transferred to an inpatient facility in Pensacola—without your consent. He must now remain for another three days, all while you watch helplessly.
This is the true story a mother shared with me after a recent Bring Hope Now presentation. Though a few years have passed and improvements have been made—such as the addition of Mobile Response Teams that now evaluate students on campus—children in crisis in our area still face long waits in local ERs and may be transported hours away due to a lack of local facilities.
This is exactly why we founded Bring Hope Now.
A Growing Crisis
In 2019, two community leaders—David Triana, founder of United for a Good Cause, and myself, Peggy Brockman—joined forces to address a terrifying trend: Northwest Florida, particularly Okaloosa County, had one of the fastest-growing youth suicide rates in the state.
We set out to bring hope through a national peer-to-peer suicide prevention program in local schools. Eglin Federal Credit Union kickstarted our mission with a $50,000 donation. With support from Superintendent Marcus Chambers and the Okaloosa County School Board, the program launched in 2020. By the end of 2022, every school in the district had the program in place. It became a model of success.
In 2024, Bring Hope Now officially separated from United for a Good Cause to pursue broader goals. We expanded into the military community with “Hope on the Line,” a peer-led suicide prevention initiative for active-duty personnel. But another pressing need was calling us: a lack of local youth mental health facilities.
By the Numbers: Why Local Help Matters
The data is staggering. In the 2022–2023 school year, 376 children under 18 in Okaloosa and Walton Counties were involuntarily Baker Acted. Of those, 76% were first-time cases, and 92 were repeat cases.
Statewide, 87% of youth Baker Acts are due to suicidality: 46% had suicidal thoughts, 28% had a plan, and 10% had made an attempt.
Children are typically taken to a local ER, where they wait for an inpatient bed to open in Pensacola or Panama City. Some wait days. If extended treatment is needed, they’re sent even farther—to Jacksonville or Orlando—hours from family and support systems. Many families can’t even afford to retrieve their children afterward.
What if that child were yours?
According to Florida Health Charts, 168 people in Okaloosa and Walton Counties went to an emergency room for self-harm injuries in 2023. Shockingly, 121 of them—72%—were children ages 5 to 19. Yes, even as young as five.
From the 2023 Florida Youth Survey:
- 22% of students said they almost always felt symptoms of stress, anxiety, or depression.
- 46% said these emotions stopped them from doing daily activities.
- 19% had seriously considered self-harm.
- Encouragingly, 31% sought help.
But we need more resources. And we need them here.
The Mission Ahead
With strong leadership from Board Chair Kathy Houchins and a growing board of community advocates, Bring Hope Now’s next mission is clear: establish a youth mental health treatment facility for Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
We’re currently seeking a facility or land to build a welcoming, home-like inpatient center. Until that becomes a reality, we continue to train community members through QPR Gatekeeper Training—equipping everyday citizens with the tools to recognize suicide warning signs and how to respond.
We also aim to launch a local loss survivor program to support families who’ve lost loved ones to suicide.
A Community That Cares
We believe in this mission because we’ve lived it. I’ve personally experienced the pain of a suicide attempt and subsequent residential treatment with a grandson. I know what families are facing.
Bring Hope Now is not just one organization—it’s a movement of people, volunteers, educators, parents, and advocates committed to changing the story for our youth.
On September 6, we’ll host our 3rd Annual Bring Hope Dragon Boat Race at The Gulf on Okaloosa Island. It’s not only a fundraiser—it’s a celebration of resilience and community. We’re looking for sponsors, racing teams, raffle and auction items, volunteers, and in-kind support. Do you know a family who’s lost a loved one to suicide? We’d be honored to include a sign in their memory at the event.
To get involved or learn more, visit www.BringHopeNow.com.
It may take a village to raise a child—but it takes a whole community to save one.
