More mental and behavioral health services now available in St. Johns County

St. Augustine, Fla. — Flagler Health+ opened a new CAIR Center on Thursday in St. Johns County.

Its purpose is to provide much-needed mental and behavioral health services to children and adults in crisis.

“CAIR Center is an initiative we have been working to get up for about three years now,” said Valerie Duquette, director of behavioral services. “To be able to provide some services in the community that are lacking here so we can fill in some of the gaps.”

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Read: Mental Health Awareness Month: How you can help

CAIR stands for Crisis, Assessment, Intervention and Referral.

Duquette said the center will offer “some short-term interventions with counseling services, and some care coordination, as well as some referral services.”

Eight treatment rooms and multi-purpose rooms will all be available to patients.

Read: Free mental health services available to DCPS students and families

Last year, more than 2,000 people came to Flagler Health+ in search of mental health services.

“It was a perfect time for us to really get this initiative going and to continue to reduce the stigma,” Duquette said.

The CAIR Center at Flagler Health+ is located in St. Augustine at 300 Health Park Boulevard, Suite 1008.

Read: New bipartisan effort to expand mental health access nationwide

It will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A community open house is scheduled for June 18 from 10 a.m. to noon.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.