TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Apalachee Center is looking to open a new residential facility in Gadsden County.
- The facility is geared towards helping people transition from the state hospital to everyday life.
- ABC 27 toured a similar facility in Leon County to see what services the facility will offer.
- Watch the video to find out what resources this facility will provide and why it's needed.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Apalachee Center in Northeast Tallahassee is looking to open a residential facility in Gadsden County. The program focuses on helping people from the station hospital back into everyday life.
This is the current transition home facility in Leon County, it's a stop gap for people leaving the state hospital, before they re-adjust back to everyday life in their communities.
"We provide their medication, so they also receive medication management, primary care services, and psycho-social rehab groups," said Precious Jones, Civil Residential Program Manager at Apalachee Center.
On top of those services, they provide enrichment activities, community support, as well as resources like helping unfreeze social security benefits, find permanent housing, or a source of income.
Reporter: What do you think the benefit is to the clients of that structure?
"I think that it helps them rebuild their confidence," said Jones. "We help prepare them with helping fight for their income. We help get them insurance, and then we help them find a more permanent place to live."
Jones said going straight from the state hospital, back to everyday life is often a huge challenge for people who have been dealing with severe mental illness that often leads to higher number of people returning to the state hospital.
"So for them is sometimes a revolving door," said Jones. "They get into the community, go back to the state hospital, into the community and so that sometimes affects the brain when you start medication, stop medication."
That's why the Apalachee Center is hoping to open more residential facilities — the next one being in Gadsden County.
"Really what we want to do is make sure that folks who are living in this region, and to be honest with you folks from across Florida, when they're coming out of state hospitalization, are able to reintegrate into their home communities, and they're able to do that in a way that's the right pace for them," said Jay Reeve, President and CEO of Apalachee Center.
Reeve said the state legislature recently approved $10 million in the budget. They are hoping to apply for some of this money to open the staff and bring in clients.
Reeve said they are hoping to apply for the funding from the Department of Children and Families has not stated what that application process looks like just yet, he's hoping to begin applying for this money in October. A date has not yet been set for when a transitional facility might open in Gadsden County.
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