(CNN) – If you needed mental health services, would you go to a Walmart to get them?
The option is now a reality.
Beacon Health Options opened a clinic at a Walmart in Carrollton, TX. The Boston-based behavioral health provider is leasing space inside a Supercenter for its first Beacon Care Servicespractice.
“We chose a retail setting for the first practice because it offers the convenience of a local neighborhood location that is close by and easy to get to, and our evening hours accommodate our patients’ schedules,” said company President and CEO Russell Petrella.
Each practice will be staffed by at least one clinician. Appointments can be made online.
Their services include:
- Counseling for adults
- Diagnostic screening and assessment
- Individual and couples therapy
- Wellness, recovery, and resilience education
- Grief counseling
“More than 10.1 million Texans live in an area that is considered to have a shortage of mental health care professionals, and only 35 percent of all mental health care needs are met statewide,” according to Beacon.
The option may be appealing to some because it doesn’t add stigma if they’re seen at a Walmart outside a clinic, but the flip side may also be true. Someone may shy away from mental health services in such a public place.
In either case, Beacon said it’s considering other locations to expand access to behavioral health services.
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