Flagler Access Center for mental health resources to host ribbon-cutting Jan. 11

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Flagler Access Center, which county officials say will provide much needed mental health services to Flagler County residents, is slated for 10 a.m. on Jan. 11, according to a county press release.

The center — located at 103 E. Moody Blvd. in Bunnell and opening with county partners SMA Healthcare and Flagler Health+ — will provide an open door for education, screening and connection to behavioral health services in the area, according to the county.

“We are thrilled to be a partner in this initiative that will provide a connection for behavioral health-care services for the citizens of Flagler County,” said SMA Healthcare CEO Ivan Cosimi in the press release. “We have been looking for ways to expand our scope of services in the county, and we are confident this partnership will allow us to do just that.”

Flagler Access Center, which will provide Flagler County with much needed mental health services, will have its ribbon cutting on Jan. 11.
Flagler Access Center, which will provide Flagler County with much needed mental health services, will have its ribbon cutting on Jan. 11.

In June, Flagler County officials received $245,000 from the state to create a mental health access point in the county, which was its top legislative priority for the session. The Board of County Commissioners then bolstered the funding by $300,000 with money made available by the federal government through the American Rescue Plan.

“Addressing behavioral health issues — including drug abuse and the suicide rate — have been a priority,” said County Administrator Heidi Petito in the release. “This initial funding is allowing us and our private-provider partners to operate this new center without immediate concerns about grant writing or fundraising. This is a big first step to meeting our goals for the community.”

In 2020, 25 people died by suicide in Flagler County, according to the most recent data compiled by Florida Health Charts. That's a rate of 20.9 deaths per 100,000 residents. That number is up from the rate of 19.3 the county reported in 2019.

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Flagler County has one of the highest suicide rates in the state and is one of 17 counties in the fourth quartile for suicides, according to the state. This means that death by suicide occurs more often in Flagler County than in 75% of Florida's 67 counties.

Florida's overall suicide death rate was 13.1 per 100,000 residents in 2020.

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Services provided

All Flagler County residents are eligible to receive services from the Flagler Access Center. Everyone who goes to the center will be screened and connected to appropriate services.

Some of those services include walk-in screenings; crisis response; care coordination; and connections to the federal housing effort known as PATH (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness).

“Flagler County has been advocating for a project of this nature, and has stepped up to provide a convenient location for access to these much-needed services,” Cosimi said, “Flagler Health+ will provide services for its 'Be Resilient and Voice Emotions' (BRAVE) program, which encourages youth to engage with mental health services early on in their life.”

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The center will also utilize other social services providers within the county so care can continue after the person leaves the center.

A second phase of services — which will include mental health and substance abuse therapy — will eventually be offered at the Flagler Access Center once licensure for the new facility has been obtained.

Those services are currently provided at SMA Healthcare at 301 Justice Lane in Bunnell. Services for both are provided through individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, individualized treatment plans and treatment plan reviews.

“This is an important milestone for Flagler County,” Petito said. “This will allow us to better serve everyone in the community.”

The ribbon-cutting is open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

Nikki Ross covers K-12 education, health and COVID-19 for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. She can be reached at nikki.ross@news-jrnl.com or follow her on Twitter @nikkiinreallife.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Behavioral health center in Flagler to hold ribbon-cutting Jan. 11