New psychiatric walk-in center fills gap in health services

It was a ribbon cutting for a new medical center in Melbourne like many before, but the unveiling of the Coast Psychiatric Urgent Care clinic in Melbourne Wednesday is being greeted by police and caregivers as a potential game changer for mental health care in Brevard.

The first of it's kind in the county — and possibly the state — the center at 1428 Valentine Street will provide psychiatric evaluations, grief and crisis counselling, brief family and individual therapy and more, making psychiatric care available to people in need right away.

"I think it will be a great asset to the community," said Michael Ayers, president and chief executive officer of the Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce, right after presiding over the ribbon cutting ceremony. 

The importance of the center, according to supporters, is that it is often difficult to gain access to psychiatrists in Brevard, leading to gaps in care for many patients. Supporters hope the urgent care center will help relieve pressure on emergency services by getting people help before their problems become crises. 

The center opens Thursday and will serve patients age 4 and up, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.

Mental health is a growing concern for Brevard County. A study by the Space Coast Health Foundation showed the number of individuals in Brevard County experiencing symptoms of chronic depression grew from 21.7% in 2004 to 34.2% this year. The number of Brevard County residents diagnosed with a depressive disorder by a physician grew from 17% in 2016 to 24.3% this year.

Compounding the problem is the fact that Brevard County is an area with too few psychiatrists for its population of patients, said Jessica Karle, the executive director of Coastal Psychiatric.

The lack of psychiatrists in the county combined with an abundance of patients allows doctors to pick and choose who  they treat, she said. They tend to choose wealthier patients because those patients are always able to pay and are more likely to keep their appointments. They also tend to avoid treating patients with more severe conditions such as psychosis in favor of patients with more mild symptoms.

As a result, those who need psychiatric care might wait months for an appointment. During that wait time, their problems sometimes escalate to the point where their lives started to deteriorate or they required emergency services.

Mental illnesses impact both individuals and their communities. Mental health emergencies can drain emergency resources for police and other first responders.

Palm Bay Police Lt. Steve Bland said that when the department receives a mental health-related call, it can take officers out of service for 40 minutes to a few hours. Officers must transport mental health patients 20 minutes from Palm Bay to Melbourne-area facilities such as Circles of Care.

"When we do have to respond to a call, it takes a significant amount of time," he said.

Police won't be dropping off patients at Coastal Psychiatric; the facility isn't eligible to take in involuntarily committed mental patients. However, any increase in access to mental health care could reduce the burden on the police department, Bland said.

Karle said the idea for a psychiatric urgent care center came to her after she went to an urgent care clinic with a foot injury.

"I went in there and went out," Karle said. "I was thinking, I bet people with mental health issues come in here as well ... I started thinking how nice it would be to be able to just walk in and get what they needed."

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Karle has sought to eliminate as many barriers as possible for those who need treatment. To make healthcare more accessible to lower-income patients, Karle chose to locate the center near a Space Coast Area Transit bus stop.

Coastal Psychiatric can’t afford to give care for free as the organization is still in the process of attaining its tax-exempt status and has no grant funding. Karle and her husband Stephen have funded the center out of their own pockets.

Coastal Psychiatric has applied to join the network of several major insurance companies, but that process could take a few months. For now, clients who qualify will pay according to a sliding fee scale based on financial need.

Not all patients will be a good fit for treatment at the center. Patients who are actively suicidal or homicidal will have to go to a hospital instead. The center also won’t prescribe any controlled substances such as Xanax or Adderall.

"We can solve the little problem before it becomes big," said clinic co-founder Stephen Karle. "And that's our gift back to the community."

Bailey Gallion is the business and development reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallion at bgallion@floridatoday.com or 321-292-0669.