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Their Only Option

Every day, hundreds of sick and injured patients walk into free and charitable clinics around the Tampa Bay area in need of a doctor.Many are suffering from chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Some patients were referred to the clinics by staff at hospitals where they landed after years of neglecting to care for treatable conditions.The clinics allow the patients to pay what they can, or nothing at all. They are staffed by doctors and nurses who volunteer their time. They survive off donations and small grants.Many of the patients have jobs but they are living paycheck to paycheck. None have health insurance, either because they do not qualify for Medicaid or can’t afford private coverage. For these patients, the clinics are often their only option for primary care.

Florida Prison Officials Open New Mental Health Facility In Wakulla For Inmates

WFSU | By Sascha Cordner

Published September 12, 2018 at 6:10 PM EDT

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The Florida Department of Corrections has opened a new mental health facility in Wakulla County.

The Residential Continuum of Care treatment facility will be housed at the Wakulla Correctional Institution Annex. With four dorms, it’s set to house up to 540 inmates. According to Prison Chief Julie Jones, this new mental healthcare facility is more than two years in the making.

“One of our biggest liabilities right now in the prison system is mental health and the increase in our severely mentally ill inmates,” she said, speaking to WFSU last year. “But, if we can stabilize our inmate population and get them healthier mentally, they go back to community and communities are safer.”

In addition to emotional support dogs, the RCC mental health facility will also include art and music therapy, life skill training, and basic education.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner .

Florida Prison Officials Open New Mental Health Facility In Wakulla For Inmates

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