St. Lucie County – Wednesday, January three, 2024: The HANDS Clinic in Fort Pierce is launching a psychological well being program to serve the working poor and uninsured in St. Lucie County.
St. Lucie County at present has one psychological well being supplier for each 570 individuals. Most suppliers don’t settle for insurance coverage. For individuals with Medicaid or with out the flexibility to pay, ready lists for remedy from nonprofit suppliers prolong as much as two years. In the meantime, St. Lucie has a suicide price of 16.four%, properly above the Florida state common of 13.eight%.
The HANDS Clinic of St. Lucie County, a nonprofit, volunteer-driven well being supplier, is creating a cheap and sustainable method to addressing the disaster, constructing on neighborhood partnerships.
Lisa Hatch, government director of HANDS of St. Lucie, is launching a brand new psychological well being service this month, together with some inventive companions. HANDS will present some St. Lucie residents with much-needed entry to free psychological well being providers.
“The HANDS Clinic depends on volunteers to offer care to the a whole bunch of sufferers who name it their medical residence,” Hatch stated in a information launch. “Their psychological well being is as necessary as their bodily well being for them and for us. “We’re very lucky that native psychological well being suppliers have volunteered to assist us increase our psychological well being providers and create an entire new manner of offering care.”
The care mannequin depends on partnerships to help and increase the attain of HANDS Clinic workers. A licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner will present ongoing care. 4 native psychological well being suppliers have volunteered to information and supervise this system. In partnership with Florida Atlantic College, two college students per semester from the college’s psychiatric well being nursing program will spend the required 16 hours of scientific work at HANDS, giving purchasers larger entry to no-cost appointments.
“Welcoming nursing college students into our program means we will serve extra purchasers,” Hatch stated, “and in addition assist prepare the following technology of suppliers.”
One other partnership, this one with Pinnacle Wellness Group and native doctor Dr. Kenneth Palestrant, will give sufferers entry to medication-assisted remedy.
The St. Lucie County Board of Commissioners, one other key accomplice, has dedicated $150,000 to improve the HANDS Clinic house and add two psychological well being rooms for on-site remedy.
Dr. Gene Manko, chief medical director of HANDS, helped drive the event of this system. “Our purchasers deserve one of the best in psychological well being care,” Manko stated, “and the flexibility to obtain that care in a well timed method. Because of our companions, we now have a care mannequin that may meet their wants.”