CAIR Center Opens at UF Health St. Johnsto Provide Increased Access to Mental and Behavioral Health Services

St. Augustine, Fla. June 9, 2022 – Recognizing a significant need for increased access to mental and behavioral health services, especially for those individuals in crisis or in urgent need of mental health care, UF Health St. Johnshas opened the CAIR (Crisis Assessment Intervention and Referral) Center at Flagler Health+.

Serving both youth and adults, the UF Health Behavioral Health Resource Center is designed to provide access to, and coordination of, mental and behavioral health services in St. Johns and surrounding counties. The CAIR Center serves as a supportive, compassionate place to access crisis assessment, brief interventions, referral services, care coordination support will work with individuals to establish a long-term connection with a provider.

“After numerous attempts to find a counselor for our teenaged child, we are extremely grateful for the immediate support and assistance that the staff provided,” said S (who asked to remain anonymous for their child’s privacy purposes). “We knew our child needed help but weren’t quite sure where to turn. A visit to the Emergency Room was unnecessary but waiting months for a community provider wasn’t realistic either. The CAIR Center provided just the right level of help we needed, at just the right time.”

“UF Health St. Johns is committed to serving the physical, social and economic health needs of our community,” said Carlton DeVooght, President and CEO of Flagler Health+. “The opening of the CAIR Center at UF Health St. Johns is the next step toward ensuring that the mental health needs of those we serve are assessed, supported and met.”

CAIR Center professionals work together to give each client the most personalized approach to obtaining mental health services. Often, the mental health struggle is tied to other needs in the household – food insecurity, lack of stable housing, difficulties obtaining prescriptions, and more. The CAIR Center then utilizes Care Connect+, a program established by Flagler Health+, to connect patients to other critical resources. UF Health Care Connectthen helps clients navigate the process to clarify questions, remove barriers, and connect the patient to social health services, as needed.

Coordinating with mental health partners in the community, the CAIR Center aims to reduce unnecessary Baker Act admissions, increase diversion from the criminal justice system, and reduce recidivism to hospitals while providing those in mental health crisis a supportive and approachable environment to receive support.

The CAIR Center at UF Health St. Johns is located at 300 Health Park Blvd, Suite 1008 on the campus of UF Health Flagler Hospital and is open Monday-Friday from 8 am-6 pm. It is anticipated that operating hours will be expanded this Summer with a hope that the center will soon be open 24/7.

An open house will be held on Saturday, June 18 from 10 am – noon for members of the community to tour the facility and learn more about the services offered.

For more information about the CAIR Center at Flagler Health+, please visit www.flaglerhealth.org/CAIR or call 904.819.5204.