wait times for follow-up visits and medication management services , and a more highly acute patient population – often requiring more services .
In addition , respondents also frequently indicated that the distribution of available providers heavily favors the larger cities in the county , including Lakeland and Winter Haven , and to a lesser extent Bartow . Residents of the outlying rural areas – such as in the northeast along the “ Ridge ” and the southern area – have a more difficult time accessing geographically convenient providers .
The following are representative of respondents ’ consensus observations .
• “ Case managers need fewer people to care for , and more understanding of the time it takes to develop [ relationships ].”
• “ First appointment for most people is a month away – this is a challenge .”
• “ There ’ s a lack of capacity , especially for children . There is a pronounced lack of services for kids and a long wait time , sometimes 6-8 weeks .”
• “ Treatment centers are very costly even for middle to upper class income [ levels ].”
• “ People can wait 3-6 months for a follow-up appointment after a Baker Act .”
• “ Not enough substance abuse programs or rehab . A lot of faith-based programs , but whole spectrum of treatment isn ' t necessarily offered .”
• “ When it comes to regular counseling , it ' s once a month . People need it once a week .” Examples of Potential Interventions for Stage 3
• Decentralize counseling services across Polk County , rather than focusing services in Lakeland . Outlying , more rural areas feel a need for more mental health and substance use disorder counselors , outreach services to high-risk seniors ( e . g ., for social isolation , suicide prevention , and medication management ), psychiatrists ( especially child psychiatrists ), Medication Assisted Treatment ( MAT ) programs , Recovery Resource Centers including residential care with embedded counseling support , and Peer Support Specialists ( also noted below ).
• Increase the number of certified community health workers by partnering with training sites such as Peace River , Tri-County Human Services , Southeastern University , and others .
• Expand Crisis Intervention Training ( CIT ) to a wider range of first responders and care providers .
• Greatly expand mobile crisis care service capacity , including first responder support , domestic violence and threat response , school-based interventions , and others . Expand other mobile care service capacity counseling services , suicide prevention , social isolation , screening , schoolbased services , and others .
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