APSU to open psychiatric nurse practitioner clinic thanks to new grant
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 A few years ago, the Austin Peay State University College of Behavioral and Health Sciences addressed an important mental health crisis within the local community. According to a report on mental health in America, Tennessee ranked 45th in the nation for providing access to mental health care, so the college opened the Psychological Science and Counseling Clinic in the former Wesley Foundation Building at 510 College St.
The clinic, which is part of Austin Peay鈥檚 Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in counseling psychology program, now serves low-income, under-insured and uninsured Clarksville residents in need of mental health counseling. The facility provides the community with evidence-based treatments for mood, trauma, anxiety and other issues, but anyone needing additional support through medication is referred to one of the area鈥檚 overwhelmed psychiatric providers.
鈥淵ou can go (to the APSU clinic) for counseling, and the counselors often refer you to psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners if you require medication to support your mental health needs,鈥 Dr. Kristen Hershey, APSU professor of nursing, said. 鈥淩ight now, that service isn鈥檛 offered at the clinic.鈥
鈥淎nd most community mental health right now has a six month wait list,鈥 Dr. Leslie Binford, APSU assistant professor of nursing, said.
This fall, Hershey and Binford, both psychiatric nurse practitioners, will help make that waiting period go away thanks to a grant they received from Clarksville Montgomery County Community Health Foundation. They鈥檒l use that money to embed an APSU School of Nursing team in Austin Peay鈥檚 existing counseling clinic
鈥淭he Psychological Science and Counseling Clinic is already established, so we are going to be joining them, cooperating really, to do prescribing, medication prescribing for mental health,鈥 Binford said. 鈥淎nyone in the community can access our services on a low-cost, sliding scale.鈥
Office visits will start as low as $5, and the psychiatric clinic has the option to provide clients a bill if they need to submit to insurance for reimbursement.
In addition to supporting the local community, the APSU Psychological Science and Counseling Clinic was developed to provide a primary training site for Austin Peay鈥檚 Doctor of Psychology and Master of Science in counseling programs. With this new medication service, the clinic also will provide a training site for another APSU degree program.
鈥淲e have a psychiatric nurse practitioner track now open in the School of Nursing. So, we will have students working there as a clinical site,鈥 Hershey said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about the opportunities for collaborative, hands-on learning for our students, as well as community service and outreach.
For information on the clinic鈥檚 psychiatric services, visit /medication-management-clinic/.
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