Kristina Messersmith, PLMHP, PCSW
Lexington Regional Health Center
LEXINGTON, NE – Mental health services have grown in demand nationwide. The pandemic brought a greater awareness of mental health due to people experiencing isolation and uncertainty. A 2020 statistic from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) shares that 1 in 5 Americans experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
It is widely known that mental health is equally as important to manage as physical health, but the average person notices their physical symptoms and seeks medical treatment. However, individuals often choose to wait or avoid seeking treatment for their mental health symptoms because a majority want to manage their symptoms privately.
In addition to those who wait to seek treatment, NAMI statistics show that 17.7 million Americans reported experiencing delays or cancellations in their mental health appointments. Another 4.9 million were unable to access needed care. This shows the demand for, and lack of, resources nationwide.
While the aforementioned statistics are based on mental health demands nationally, our community is fortunate enough to have access to mental health services at Lexington Regional Health Center. Our campus currently has these services at Family Medicine Specialists Clinic. This clinic not only provides medical services, but also has three fulltime mental health therapists, with one being bilingual in Spanish and English. There is a psychiatric nurse practitioner on-site for medication management. Lexington Regional Health Center also provides additional mental health services to rural area schools in our surrounding communities, collaborating with the school staff to meet the mental health needs of students and staff by providing access to care during their school day.
At Lexington Regional Health Center, we have excellent providers to address anyone’s mental health needs, from life’s bumps in the road, stress management, life adjustments, or even managing serious mental illness. Our mental health team utilizes a wide variety of strategies to address life circumstances through non-bias judgement using psychotherapy (talk therapy) to help build the mental wellness everyone deserves. These providers have a variety of training and certifications to help address particular mental health needs. Although an assessment may require additional referrals for higher-level medical practitioners for medication management, the mental health provider can easily collaborate with our current psychiatric nurse practitioner or work with your primary care provider to meet and address your medication needs.
If you have any questions related to mental health services on our LRHC campus or you’re curious to know more about treatment, please feel free to reach out to our team at 308-324-8308 and we will assist in answering your questions as well as connecting you to appropriate mental health services.
Statistics found on National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website at www.nami.org
