FOCUSING ON FAMILY

Family Guidance Center opens St. Joe clinic

MARYVILLE, Mo. — On April 3, 2023, Family Guidance Center for Behavioral Healthcare held a grand opening for its new Behavioral Health Urgent Care Clinic located at 4906 Frederick Avenue in St. Joseph. Northwest Missouri State University was well represented at the grand opening with Dr. Clarence Green in attendance along with members of Northwest Missouri State University Police Department.

The BHUCC is designed to provide immediate access to non life-threatening behavioral health concerns for all residents of northwest Missouri. The slogan of the BHUCC is “No Wrong Door” as the center aims to ensure that everyone who walks through the door receives a behavioral health assessment from a qualified mental health professional. Urgent care services are available at no cost to people who are in need of these services. The BHUCC is currently open Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“We often get asked questions like what is a behavioral health urgent care, what kind of problems do you treat there, how long will I have to wait and who will I see?” said Kristina Hannon, Co-CEO of FGC. “This center operates just like any other urgent care you are used to, except our focus is on mental health and substance use dis- orders. When you walk in, you meet with an LPN who makes sure your vitals are stable. Then you meet with a mental health professional to get a little more information about what your needs are. Then you may see a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner to evaluate the need for medications. We also have a licensed therapist available to you. At the end of your visit, a care coordinator will help make any follow up appointments that are needed. The average time a person spends with us at the BHUCC is around 1 hour 25 minutes. Our team really works hard to get people in quickly and minimize wait times.”

The BHUCC treats children beginning at age 6 through the adult. The facility has two separate waiting areas, one designed with kids and families in mind. There are 18 BHUCCs across the state and FGC is one of only three that are serving children and youth.

“We know that there is a significant need for children and youth behavioral health services in our area so it was really important to us that we be able to treat kids too,” Hannon said.

In the first two months of operating, 32 percent of the 237 people served were under the age of 18.

“We really want people to know that you don’t have to be in a crisis to access the BHUCC,” Hannon said.

When you start to recognize that a behavioral health symptom is interfering in your life, we want you to know you can come in right then. Don’t wait until it’s a crisis. The most common presenting problems for the 237 people served have been depression, anxiety and PTSD. Of those served at the BHUCC:

• 32 percent were under the age of 18

• 64 percent were either employed or were students

• 41 percent of patients presented with depression

• 36 percent of patients presented with an anxiety disorder

• 30 percent of patients presented with PTSD

• 11 percent of patients presented with an alcohol use disorder

FGC would like to expand the BHUCC in the future to ensure that more people from rural counties have access to necessary behavioral healthcare.

“We have only had 13 people present from the five counties (Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth) in northwest Missouri,” Hannon said.

“We know immediate access to behavioral health care is important, so determining how to continue to make behavioral healthcare more accessible to the residents of northwest Missouri is a priority for FGC.”