Mobile mental health clinic traveling across Georgia

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The nonprofit CareSource has announced a new mobile mental health unit that will travel across the state. The mobile clinic is focused on providing services for new and expecting moms.

Joanne Patterson, founder of Nurse Practitioners on Wheels, showed us her clinic. The unit features aromatherapy, calming music and a clean environment. Patterson said she tries to take a cozy approach to mental health care.

“Care isn’t as scary as you think it is in terms of mental health. Cozy mental health care is what I am offering,” said Patterson. “I really want people to understand that there are providers who are willing and able to make sure that they’re getting the treatment and the care that they need. And it’s not just about the illness, but it’s about the whole person holistically.”

According to Mental Health America of Georgia, one in seven Georgia moms experience a perinatal mood disorder.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that four out of five maternal deaths in Georgia are preventable, with mental health disorders accounting for 23% of preventable maternal deaths.

Patterson focuses on people 6 to 55. Her background is in maternal and pediatric mental health.

“I don’t think people really understand what it’s like to be a child and having lots of challenges in life, and there’s a lack of providers that specialize in those two areas, and those are my niches,” said Patterson. “Perinatal mood disorders are actually the number-one complication of the postpartum period, where postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and OCD impact the pregnancy, as well as the postpartum period.”

The new mobile clinic is part of the Wellness on Wheels (WOW) network of providers supported by CareSource. The mobile mental health unit provides CareSource members care through a psychiatric nurse practitioner and will start operating this month in areas that have limited access to mental health care services.

“Approximately a third of Georgians report experiencing a mental health concern such as anxiety or depression, which tracks with national figures, but nearly five million people in our state live in places without enough mental health care services to meet the need,” said Dr. Minh Nguyen, medical director for CareSource Georgia.

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