Boone County mental health resources
The Florida shooter had a history of mental health issues.
Mental health facilities are limited in many places in the country, even in Boone County.
Mizzou Health has a psychiatric hospital and there will soon be a facility focusing on the mental and health needs of kids and teens.
An assistant professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri, Kelli Canada, said, “I think we are no different than most communities, we have an enormous need for additional community based services.”
ABC 17 has been following the progress of Centerpointe, a Behavioral Health System geared towards child and teenage mental health needs.
Back in 2016, Centerpointe CEO Buddy Turner told us how it will serve local kids, “to provide education, to provide training opportunities in schools, there are profiles of kids who meet that criteria that potentially could be at risk for that, and we want to get out in front of that proactively,” he said.
Centerpointe is now saying it will open in October of 2018. It is a 72-bed hospital at the corner of International Drive and Rangeline Street. Twenty-four of the beds will be for child and adolescent care.
There’s also an initiative at the Boone County Schools, when a tragic occurs like this. They stress the importance of the “Look Around Campaign.” They encourage students to seek help for social and emotional concerns they experience or they perceive to their friends or loved ones.
