Apalachee Center Opens Primary Care Clinic in Gadsden County
Tallahassee, FL. March 20, 2017 – Apalachee Center, Inc. hosts Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the Primary Care Clinic at its Gadsden County Outpatient Center.
Apalachee Center is one of 24 grantees in the Southeast, and one of 12 in Florida awarded a
4-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Primary Care and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) Program to support and promote better primary care and behavioral health services for individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders in Gadsden County.
Research shows that individuals with serious mental illnesses and addictions die decades earlier than people without these conditions because of unrecognized and/or untreated physical health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. In fact, Gadsden County’s overall health statistics, as reported by the Florida Department of Health in 2013, were notable for the significantly higher incidence of almost all forms of chronic disease. “Through this grant, we will be able to serve the whole health of our clients” said Jay Reeve, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Apalachee Center.” “We have found in Leon County that providing both behavioral and primary care in one setting has a very positive impact on our clients’ physical health. In Gadsden, we will be preventing and ameliorating the damaging effects of physical illnesses that disproportionately effect individuals with mental illnesses and addictions.”
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