Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition

June 8, 2026

Making Lasting Change with Mental Health Awareness and Drug Prevention

An Interview with Taisha Pierre Merite

When was PBC Behavioral Health Coalition founded? Tell us more about the issues in Palm Beach County that it’s trying to solve.

TPM: It was founded approximately 20 years ago and in 2010, it became a 501c3 organization. It started as the Palm Beach County Substance Abuse Coalition, then the Substance Awareness Coalition and eventually we became the Behavioral Health Coalition. This better reflects the broader issues of what we do and how we help our community. Today we focus a lot on substance use prevention, mental health awareness, reducing stigma, supporting recovery and overall promoting wellness.

How is it funded?

TPM: We’re funded by federal, state, county and other local grants. We also have sponsorships, donations and community partners.

Tell us about the different campaigns of PBCBHC.

TPM: We have done several awareness and prevention campaigns throughout the county. All of them are focused on people making healthy choices and also reducing risk factors. One of our campaigns is the school bus drug prevention media contest. Kids take part in this art contest. This year’s theme was The Art of Self-Care, and we received over 800 student submissions. We have different community partners which promote the campaign. The winning artwork is displayed on over 800 school buses throughout Palm Beach County.

Another campaign is “877 Means 21,” and that is a tipline for reporting under-age drinking. We rely on community members to make sure that people are not providing or selling alcohol to minors. We did a training called “The Safe Meds Training.” The goal is to reach out to community members and train them on safe meds, safely securing medication in their households, and know how to safely dispose of medications.

We also provide Deterra, which dissolves medications. We also partner with the Sheriff’s department, Walgreens, the Hanley Foundation and others to educate about medications and safely dispose of medications on our “Take Back” days.

We have a pill drop campaign, and you can go on our website to find pill drop boxes from Jupiter to Boca.

How did you get involved in PBCBHC? Tell us a little about your background.

TPM: I’ve worked in this field for seven years now. I started my career as a Case Manager with DCF and then started working in treatment centers, as I found a passion there. Experiences in my family and community led me to this field. Throughout my work in substance use prevention and behavioral health, I saw how effective the Coalition was in bringing these partners together to address community challenges. It’s always been a passion of mine.

How does someone struggling with mental health issues find resources? And someone struggling with substance abuse issues?

TPM: What we do at Coalition is help connect individuals and families with trusted resources, treatment providers, support groups and recovery services throughout Palm Beach County. If someone is struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues, it’s so important to reach out by calling 211, by speaking with your health care provider and by connecting with behavioral health organizations.

Tell us what resources you offer for parents, who are trying to prevent substance abuse issues for their children?

TPM: We do a lot of work in the schools and also with the parents. We provide educational materials, prevention campaigns, Webinars, trainings, medication safety and education on emerging drug trends. We often go out in the community at different events and sit at tables. Our goal is to give parents practical tools and also information, so they can have informed conversations with their children.

What are some upcoming events that PBCBHC is offering?

TPM: We have a few events coming up. One is called the Eat, Learn, Save event and it’s an opioid overdose prevention webinar throughout the summer. The first session will be on June 23^rd. We will hear from an organization called Support, Not Stigma. We have a monthly Coalition meeting, so people can access us at those events. We have an event coming up on July 1^st called “7/10 is the new 4/20,” which focuses on marijuana and the oils, which is a new trending thing for cannabis.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

TPM: I have so many! The fact that we are able to bring people together around one common goal – to remove stigma of mental health challenges and solve behavioral health challenges. We cannot do it alone, but we are able to bring all of us together. It’s really rewarding to see schools, law enforcement, healthcare providers and other nonprofits working together to create a positive change.

How can someone get involved/ volunteer with your organization?

TPM: Our monthly Coalition Connection meetings are the best place to start. Also, people can volunteer with us at community events.

Tell us about the impact PBCBHC has in Palm Beach County. Do you see progress when it comes to substance abuse and mental health?

TPM: Over the years we have led community-wide initiatives about underage drinking, prevention, opioid overdose prevention and medication safety. Of course, our biggest initiatives are substance use prevention and mental health awareness. Through the programs like “877 Means 21,” Pill Drop, and the School Bus Drug Prevention Media Contest, we’ve been able to reach thousands of youths, their parents and community members.

While there’s still a lot of work for us that needs to be done, we are seeing progress. More people are talking openly about mental health; more families are seeking support where they need it and there’s greater awareness about the risk of substance abuse. Our Coalition sees a strong collaboration across the community and we’re encouraged about making lasting change.