- Sojourn Wellness will help those who struggle with things like mental health and drug addiction.
- The inpatient facility will have an open house February 24th.
- See the video to look inside.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A new facility is coming to Gadsden County that will help those who are struggling with mental health and more. The facility is called Sojourn Wellness. I spoke with the owner, and she says her goal is for her patients to feel comfortable and not alone.
An inpatient facility designed for neighbors who need support.
"Mental health services are needed; addiction services are needed"
Services that sojourn wellness owner Chantel Lewis knew Gadsden County needed more of.
"we minimize the need for this service so I really hope that this being here, it will remove that."
I checked Florida Health Charts. They say in 2022, Gadsden County had 45 licensed behavioral and mental health professionals. That's up from 36 in 2017.
These numbers include marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers and mental health counselors with active licenses in Florida. This
Does not include behavioral healthcare professionals, such as psychologists or school psychologists.
While that number has gone up, the ratio of professionals to people living there is still below the Florida average.
"We are here to help the community and we will make something happen."
Sojourn Wellness is located right off Ralph Strong Road.
The inpatient building is surrounded by five acres of woods and green fields, features a courtyard and has 39 private rooms with TVs and comfortable beds.
The building has a 44-bed capacity.
The facility will be for those who are struggling with things like mental health, addiction and drug abuse.
"There are a lot of programs out there and often times people are not aware of them and so when I heard about this and when I spoke to the owner Ms. Lewis, I was so elated that these types of services will be provided in our county."
This service will be the patient’s initial phase of care. Then, patients will go to outpatient care.
"We are trying to provide a serene atmosphere."
Services and atmosphere that Lewis says is needed and awareness needs to begin that help is here for those who need it.
"My goal for the community is to remove the stigma of needing help for addiction and mental health. That is something that we do not discuss in this community. So, the environment that we are providing here is to remove that stigma. That's why we are offering so many amenities at our facility to let you know that this is more so like a home like environment."
This facility is going to be having an open house showcasing on February 24th for those who are interested in seeing the building before they open a few weeks later. In Quincy I’m Ashley Engle, ABC 27.
